


My Life’s A Struggle with Water and Wind

by astroaethrae



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aqua-critical, Emotional support friends are best friends, Eventual Romance, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, NOT TerrAqua friendly, No surprise but Terra leaves Aqua for Ven in case you needed that warning, Terra struggles with self-loathing, TerraVen fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 20:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20588666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astroaethrae/pseuds/astroaethrae
Summary: What do you do when you feel inferior to your own girlfriend? Terra struggles with these feelings often, and it doesn’t help that other people tell him he is. Not to mention said girlfriend is constantly doubting him and his friend group. He knows she’s coming from a good place, but it's hardly comforting. Luckily, he has his best friend to take solace in, but Ventus has a tendency to lose his temper when it comes to Terra getting hurt—plus Terra has been grappling with "forbidden thoughts” about him for some time now. All Terra wants to do is keep the peace and prove himself to be a good boyfriend. He yearns to find inner peace, but just how is he supposed to do that when he's constantly at war with himself over Water and Wind?





	1. The Chains That Bind

**Author's Note:**

> Although I ship her with other people and respect her as a character, I’ll just come out and say I am not that fond of Aqua anymore. Fandom’s obsession with her and treating her like she’s perfect when she’s not, as well as Nomura’s crappy writing and pandering to her stans made her get old for me really fast; and you already know I can’t stand TerrAqua especially because its stans put Aqua on a pedestal while treating Terra like garbage. Plus they have a tendency to harass people who don’t ship TerrAqua, so it changed my opinion of the ship from “not bothered/never thought about it” to “absolute NOTP.” So this is a massive vent piece in response to fandom’s and TerrAqua stans’ nonsense. It’s a LOT longer than I planned, so I had to break it up, but I had fun writing it.
> 
> I try to keep everyone as in character as possible and like to think I treat Aqua fairly while also critiquing her faults. There’s no bashing in here, as far as I can tell, so you needn’t worry about this being some big slam piece for no reason. If anything, this whole thing is a big middle finger to popular fandom and the people who treat Terra poorly because they think Aqua’s perfect. I also wanted to give Terra his own autonomy because Nomura robbed it from him in how he wrote him in KH3; he deserved so much better!!
> 
> That said, enjoy!

_You’re so lucky to have her._

He knew. He knew that he was lucky to have her; she was everything he wasn’t: competent, bright, intelligent—so many things. She excelled in all the areas he failed in, so what did she see in him? Why did she approach him with the intention of crossing the line of friendship into something more? How did he get so _lucky_?

_Man, you’re pretty worthless compared to her! Good thing she’s there to pick up your slack, eh?_

Haha, good joke—a joke that wasn’t _actually _a joke. When he was told this so often, he knew that they were serious and just poorly disguising it as a joke. She _was_ always there to “pick up his slack;” so much, in fact, that it sometimes felt like she was hovering over him, as if _expecting_ him to make mistakes. She would be there to “catch him” whenever he “fell;” never mind that he found it rather patronizing. He knew she didn’t _mean_ for it to be, but it never helped his self-confidence. 

_Aqua really is the best, isn’t she? How the hell did someone like you end up catchin’ her? If it ain’t the muscles, maybe it’s your face, pretty boy~_

How did he end up “catching” her, indeed? He didn’t know. He knew that Aqua wasn’t shallow; she wouldn’t have gone for him just for his looks. No, he knew it was because they had established and continuously built upon a close friendship—one that saw them through many trials and turbulences, but they were always able to work through them. They were so good at working out their problems, in fact, that it only made sense that they’d start to grow more _romantically_ interested in one another; after all, who else would put up with his baggage in this way? 

_Terra, you lug, you better be taking care of her!_

He was _trying_. But unlike Aqua, Terra knew he wasn’t nearly as capable of supporting someone like _she_ was. He was doing his best, and it appeared to be enough for her, but he never felt it was enough for _him_. He felt so worthless—he _always_ felt worthless. He was the shadow that her bright light cast, so he would _never_ be able to truly be her equal in that manner. Still, he wanted to keep trying. He was determined to keep making their relationship work—he _needed_ to. Though…he couldn’t help but feel it was more for selfish reasons rather than for the actual sake of their relationship. He wanted to prove himself—not just to other people that he _was_ a good boyfriend, but also to _himself_. 

…He needed to prove to himself that he was _worthy_ of being loved… 

“Yo, Earth to Terra! You in there?” 

Terra blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. 

“Huh? Oh… Yeah… Sorry, Van…”

Vanitas snorted and shook his head. Golden eyes scrutinizing him intently, he sighed and lit a cigarette. Taking a deep drag and exhaling slowly, he said, “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about what all those assholes say about you and _Aqua_ again.”

Terra flushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“W-well…” 

Beside Vanitas, Axel spoke up.

“Dude, you gotta stop dwelling on it. Everything you keep hearing is bullshit. We know it, _Aqua_ knows it. You’re _fine_.”

Terra nodded halfheartedly just for the sake of agreeing. 

“Right… Yeah…” he replied quietly, gaze fixed on the coffee table of their hangout. 

Roxas snorted and slapped Axel’s shoulder, who in turn let out a small “Ow!” and rubbed his shoulder. Intense blue eyes focusing on the redhead, the youngest of the group spoke up: “Axel, don’t be stupid. You know that’s easier said than done. Be more supportive, will ya?” 

Axel snorted and rolled his bright green eyes.

“What do you _think_ I’m doin’, Rox? Damn!” 

Vanitas snorted and puffed on his cigarette. Turning his golden stare to Roxas’s twin, he asked, “You’re awfully quiet, Ventus. What’re _you_ thinkin’?”

Terra’s breath hitched for a moment before he regained his composure. Why was it that every time someone even _mentioned_ Ven, it’d take his breath away? Brushing away the thoughts, he turned his cerulean eyes to his closest friend.

Ventus sat silently, fists clenched over his lap. His vibrant sky-blue eyes glared at the coffee table, clearly irritated and lost in thought. Sighing, he lifted his head and looked directly at Terra. 

“They’re _wrong_. All of them. They don’t know _anything_. If I could, I’d beat the shit out of everyone who’s ever given you grief about your relationship. They don’t know a single thing about you, Terra, and it makes me so _mad_ that they just…!!”

Terra placed a comforting hand on Ventus’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Ven…” he said quietly.

Ven shook his head.

“_No_. No, I’m _serious_.”

The rest of their group sat in silence, all eyes on him. 

“You’re so _wonderful_, Terra,” Ven continued, looking at his best friend. “There is _nothing_ wrong with you. If anything, _Aqua_ is lucky to have _you_.”

Terra startled, taken aback by Ven’s words. He noticed the rest of his friends glance at one another. He was about to respond, but the sound of his text tone ringing stopped him. With a soft sigh, he pulled out his phone and opened the message.

_<I’m home! You can stop by whenever. I’ll make dinner. :)>_

Terra sighed softly and re-pocketed his phone.

“Aqua’s back at her place and I promised I’d stop by and spend the night. I better get over there.”

His friends nodded, although Ven’s face contorted in further irritation. Terra wanted to comfort him—to tell him it would be alright—but he couldn’t bring himself to; he knew what Aqua was going to tell him when he got there. Instead, he placed a large hand on his dear friend’s sunshine hair and gave it an affectionate ruffle. 

“Hey…!” Ven exclaimed, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Terra smiled, feeling better knowing that Ven was at least a _little_ consoled. As long as Ven was happy, _he_ was happy.

“It’s okay…” he said.

The younger man looked at him, eyebrows furrowed slightly at the statement. The look confused Terra.

“Okay? I wasn’t thinking that you _wouldn’t_ be okay, I know you’ll be fine,” Ven said, shaking his head. “I just don’t like the fact that as soon as she realizes you’ve been hanging out with us, she’ll give you her _usual lecture_.” 

So that’s what it was…

Terra nodded, unable to find the words he felt necessary to say. He knew how his friends felt, especially when he mentioned Aqua’s vocal disapproval of their ‘rowdy’ lifestyle.

“I like Aqua, I really do,” the younger man continued. “She’s nice and a good person, but she’s just so _demeaning_ when it comes to things she doesn’t agree with. If there’s one thing I can’t stand about her, it’s that self-righteous attitude of hers where she thinks she knows best about _everything_. Just because she went to law school doesn’t mean she knows what’s best for everyone, _especially _for you.”

Terra flinched. He was surprised by Ven’s outbursts. Usually, Ven was cheerful and friendly—he was always willing to give everyone a chance at friendship. When it came to Terra, however, it was an entirely different story. Ven was always ready to defend Terra from anyone’s disparaging comments. He believed in Terra wholeheartedly and refused to leave his side whenever Terra needed him; even when Terra was in the wrong, Ven would still be there beside him to support him and help him learn from his mistakes. Sometimes Ven could be a little over the top about it, but Terra didn’t mind. This was what he admired most about the younger man—his dedication to their friendship and Terra’s wellbeing—so it was no wonder that the two of them were closest to each other in their friend group.

It was why they were best friends, almost _brothers_.

Terra’s nose crinkled slightly at the thought. No, maybe “brothers” wasn’t the right word. He and Ven were _beyond_ that. The bond they shared had exceeded that point long ago—it was so much more, something he couldn’t properly _describe_. He had heard some kids mention a word—“queerplatonic,” was it?—and thought that fit their relationship pretty well. But even so, Terra still felt that it went beyond _that_. Perhaps even into dangerous, uncharted territory; the way he felt for Ven was so borderline-close to how he used to feel for Aqua.

…Used to…?

No, that wasn’t right…was it? He liked Aqua romantically.

‘Liked?’ 

What did that mean? Why was it so hard to say he ‘loved’ her? Maybe because he…no. No, he wasn’t even going to entertain the notion. He was with Aqua. He _liked_ Aqua. A lot. This was no time to be doubting himself and his own feelings. Just because he was upset with what other people said to him didn’t mean he needed to take it out on his relationship. He was _happy_.

…Right…?

Yeah. Yeah, he was happy.

“You look so conflicted right now, bro,” Roxas observed aloud, breaking Terra from his thoughts.

“Ah, I do? Sorry…”

Vanitas snorted.

“That’s something you gotta sort out on your own. You probably should get going, before she comes _looking_ for you.”

Axel and Roxas snickered at the comment.

“_You’d_ be happy if she came looking for _you_, Van, just admit it~” Axel teased with a smirk.

Vanitas rolled his eyes and took another drag of his cigarette.

“The only way I’d let her step on me is if she wasn’t so high-strung about Terra ‘hanging out with the wrong crowd’ or whatever bullshit she keeps going on about.”

Terra frowned.

“Hey, now. She’s still my girlfriend, guys. I don’t appreciate you talking about her that way, _especially_ in front of me.”

Vanitas held up his hands in surrender, cigarette balanced between his fingers, while Roxas and Axel shifted awkwardly in their seats. Ven, on the other hand, snorted. Terra couldn’t help but turn his attention to his dearest friend.

“Ven…?”

“It’s nothing. You’re wasting time,” Ven muttered. “We’re fine, just go.”

Terra’s cerulean eyes widened; Ven was _rarely_ this short with him. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he knew now wasn’t the time—especially in front of the others. He made a mental note to ask Ven about it privately later, but overall decided it was best to go. Giving his friends a wave and a halfhearted smile, he turned and walked out.

As he made his way to Aqua’s apartment, the day’s conversations with his friends kept replaying in his mind. He was especially focused on his interactions with Ventus. Something was wrong, and it was eating him up inside that he couldn’t exactly figure out what. Was it what Vanitas had said when he brought up one of Aqua’s grievances? That must be it. Who _wouldn’t_ be upset? Hell, Terra _himself_ always got upset whenever she mentioned it.

If only she would take the time to actually _meet_ his friends, she’d understand… 

His thoughts were cut short as he found himself in front of Aqua’s door. Cracking a tiny smile, he rang the doorbell and waited.

“Hey!” Aqua greeted cheerily as she opened the door. “You know you can always just come in, right?”

Terra chuckled as she pulled him inside.

“I know, but old habits die hard, I guess.”

Aqua chuckled as well and leaned up to peck his lips. Terra returned it, but he noticed her eyebrows scrunch. Oh no…

“I smell cigarette smoke… Were you with your friends just now?”

Terra sighed. _Here_ it comes.

“Yeah? I mean, where else would I be besides work if not with them or you?” he retorted.

Aqua shook her head and held up her hands.

“Sorry, that came out wrong. I’m not saying that it’s a _bad_ thing, it’s just…”

Terra shook his head.

“I know, they’re ‘bad influences.’ We’ve been through this _before_, Aqua.”

The blue-haired woman sighed softly.

“I _know_, and I know that they’re not bad people, and I can see that they care about you so much, but I can’t help but worry about you sometimes.”

Terra couldn’t help but bristle—as _usual_ when this conversation came up. He was getting really tired of it happening so _often_.

“Why, exactly? Aqua, I’m a grown man. I’m twenty-eight years old, for Titan’s sake, I’m not a _child_. I’m perfectly capable of making my own judgments about people and deciding if they’re good enough for me to hang out with or not!” 

Aqua straightened up in defense, eyebrows furrowing even more.

“I never said you _weren’t_!” she countered.

“But you’re implying that I’m not good at making my own decisions when you say you’re _worried_ about me hanging out with my friends—the guys I’ve been hanging out with since I was in _middle school_!”

Terra was starting to get frustrated. This redundant, patronizing conversation had gotten old long ago. He knew Aqua meant well and that her concerns were genuine; he knew she wanted the best for him, but _dammit_, the way she acted when it came to his circle of friends only made all of the pain he felt inside _worse_. It was like she didn’t trust him to be out in the world all on his own, despite him being a successful carpenter and responsible member of society in _general_. He was doing his best and just wanted to hang around people who understood him and made him feel like he was _worth_ something; was that such a bad thing?

“What—no I’m not! I don’t want you to take it that way at _all_!” Aqua exclaimed, eyes wide at the realization that Terra interpreted her words as he had. “I’m just saying I’m _worried_ because most of your friends are involved in some shady stuff!”

Terra’s fists curled and uncurled as he fought down the urge to yell. He didn’t want to fight, and he knew Aqua didn’t either, but there was no way he could continue letting her demean his friends in this way.

“What do you mean _shady stuff_? They all have stable day jobs just like you and I do! Are you talking about Vanitas performing with his band in bars at night? Roxas and Axel barhopping on occasion? Because that _hardly_ constitutes as ‘shady!’ If that’s shady to you, then I guess a large portion of the population is ‘shady’ in your eyes!”

“That’s not what I _meant_!” Aqua groaned in frustration, rubbing her temples. “Roxas is in some underground fighting club, isn’t he?”

“He’s part of some unofficial boxing circles, yeah, for recreational purposes. He likes boxing with other people for the hell of it so he can blow off steam. It helps with his anger issues.”

The blue-haired woman nodded solemnly.

“And you said that Vanitas used to sell drugs, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. _Used to_. Meaning, he’s _not_ anymore and _hasn’t been_ for years, Aqua! People are capable of changing themselves for the _better_, you know!”

Aqua huffed in exasperation.

“Don’t you start patronizing me, Terra Abelard, I know full well that people are capable of doing so.”

Her tone was a warning, and it only infuriated Terra further.

“You sure don’t act like it, especially since you keep holding their pasts against them like this—which you then use to patronize _me, Aqua Wishart_, so don’t even start with that.”

His heart was racing. What was happening? It was like the words he was saying were coming automatically, with no filter. Normally he’d just let it go and grumble to his friends about it later—apologizing profusely on Aqua’s behalf, of course—because he didn’t want to fight with her, but something was different this time. It was as if his eyes had finally been opened after keeping them closed tight for so long. It was invigorating—he felt like he was finally able to be the man he _wanted_ by standing up for himself. He would never put Aqua down, but he couldn’t continue letting her get away with insulting his closest friends and treating them like outcasts of society when she didn’t even properly _know them_.

“I’m not holding their pasts against them! Ventus—”

Terra nearly saw red as soon as Ven’s name left her lips.

“Don’t you _dare_ bring him into this,” he growled.

Aqua was taken aback by his tone of voice; Terra had _never_ sounded like that before. 

“Wh—I _wasn’t_!” she retorted, shaking her head. “All I was going to say is that Ventus being in your group makes me feel better because he seems to help you stay grounded! If you would just _listen_ to what I had to say, we wouldn’t be fighting right now!” 

Terra scoffed, astonished by her words. 

“Help me stay _grounded_? What does that mean?! See, you say these kinds of things _all_ the _time_, and I know you don’t mean for them to sound bad, but they do! You may not think you are, but when you keep saying things like, ‘He helps you stay grounded,’ or, ‘I worry about you because they’re shady,’ or even ‘You shouldn’t put yourself in those kinds of situations,’ you’re implying that you don’t _trust me_. You make it sound like I’m _incompetent_ in your eyes.”

He was breathing heavily, his heart palpitating violently from the adrenaline. He felt the heat in his cheeks and knew that his face was flushed bright red. His eyes were wide, yet they glistened with tears he refused to shed; he _refused_ to cry. He was frustrated and hurt, but he wouldn’t cry. Not now. Not in front of her. The last thing he needed was for his self-esteem to take yet _another_ hit because ‘Aqua made him cry.' The voice inside his head was already mocking him for it; he couldn’t bear to be mocked externally, too.

Aqua stood in stunned silence as she processed the words her boyfriend threw at her. She felt guilty; had Terra always felt this way? She never wanted him to interpret her concerns in that way—she didn’t think it came across as such. Why hadn’t he confided in her about this before? Didn’t they say “no secrets” when they started dating? Even when they started out as friends, they had always been honest with each other. They had known each other for so long, yet right now Aqua felt like she didn’t know Terra at all. 

“I’m…I’m sorry, Terra…” she said quietly, standing down. “I didn’t know you felt that way… Why didn’t you talk to me about all of this…? About how you were feeling…?”

Terra relaxed slightly, but her words still frustrated him; he _had_ tried talking to her about it—multiple times.

“I _have_, Aqua,” he replied, as calmly as he could manage. “Several times. And every time I did, you heard me, but you never _listened_. So I gave up on it for the most part. I realize now that I shouldn’t have, because it keeps building up, but yeah. But…that’s only half the problem. The other half is that you keep talking down to me about my friends when you haven’t even met them. You only met Ven, and I know you like him—he likes you, too, so how do you think he’d feel if he heard what you kept saying about the others? Roxas is his twin brother, Vanitas is his childhood friend. They mean more to him than the _world_, and you keep judging them like they’re criminals or something. It’s not fair to them or to _me_.”

He wasn’t going to tell her that his friends already knew what she said about them, of course. She didn’t need to know. For a moment he thought he should never have told them what Aqua had said, but he pushed that away; they were there for him _first_—he wasn’t going to keep anything from them just because he was dating, and he knew all four of them would do the exact same thing for him as well.

Aqua stood silent, processing everything Terra had said. She knew he wasn’t finished, so she remained quiet so he could continue. They needed to get everything out into the open.

Terra was about to tell her about what other people—people who were close to Aqua, especially—constantly said to him; about how lucky he was to have her, how he was nothing without her, _everything_. Yet for some reason, the words couldn’t come out. _This_ wasn’t Aqua’s fault. To make matters worse, Terra had a hunch that if he told Aqua this, she would scold everyone who said such things to him, which in turn would make everything ten times worse. He could already _hear_ it: “Oh man, you can’t even stand up for yourself? You have to get your girlfriend to defend you? Man, you really _are_ worthless without her around. You’re _so lucky_ she’s there for you and willing to put up with your _spinelessness_.”

“Terra?”

Aqua’s gentle coaxing broke him from this thoughts. He simply shook his head in response.

“It’s nothing, I’m done. But…I think…I should probably go cool off for the night. I’m sorry. I know I said I’d stay the night, and I know you went through the trouble of making dinner for both of us, but…I just…need some space right now.”

Aqua exhaled quietly and nodded.

“I understand,” she said. “Here, at least let me send some food with you. You need to eat…”

Terra only nodded. He stood there silently as she walked to the kitchen, processing everything that had just happened. This day just kept getting _worse_.

“Great…” Terra muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Just great…”

Aqua returned moments later with a bag packed with Tupperware. Although she didn’t say anything as she handed the bag to Terra, he could tell she was just as upset with the situation as he was. His first instinct was to comfort her, but he stopped himself. This was the usual pattern: they’d fight, he’d feel bad for getting mad, Aqua would naturally also be upset, then he’d bend first and apologize for being upset in the first place. Aqua would apologize as well, but he was _always _the one to apologize first—even when he had legitimate reasons for being upset.

Instead, he quietly took the bag from Aqua and softly said, “Thank you… Smells great…”

Aqua nodded, looking into his vibrant cerulean eyes—eyes that reminded her of the cloudless sky. They were red from clearly holding back tears; the sight made her want to tear up as well, but she didn’t. She knew he didn’t want her pity, and her pride refused to let her anyway. She didn’t want to make him feel worse than he already was, but at the same time she felt justified for feeling concerned. She didn’t like how Terra had misinterpreted her worry; of _course _she trusted him to make his own decisions, and of course she knew his friends were good people—they wouldn’t have stuck by Terra for so long if they _weren’t_—but anything could happen. She trusted Terra not to make bad decisions, _but_ because he was so loyal and willing to be there for his friends no matter what, it’d be easy for him to unintentionally get dragged into bad situations. She wasn’t worried about _Terra _getting into those kinds of situations; she was worried about his friends dragging him down with them _if_ something happened. It was a completely reasonable concern.

“We can talk more later,” she said, nodding as he thanked her. “In the meantime, take care, hm…?”

Terra nodded.

“Yeah… We’ll have dinner tomorrow? Maybe go out? It’ll be my treat…”

Aqua cracked a small smile.

“Alright, I’ll hold you to that.”

Terra chuckled softly and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. Aqua continued to smile, but something in her gut twisted unpleasantly at the touch. No, not at the touch itself, but at the fact that _that_ was the touch Terra preferred to give her. Why couldn’t he at least kiss her on the cheek? Or at least take her hand to give it a reassuring squeeze? Why did it have to be a _shoulder_ squeeze—something he reserved for friends? She—

_No_. No, she wasn’t going to be petty. Terra was upset, of course he didn’t want to be lovey-dovey right now. He needed his space, and she would respect that. She wasn’t _clingy_. Instead, she patted his arm in return and gave him a softer smile.

“Have a good night,” she said.

Terra nodded.

“Yeah… You, too… See you…”

With that, he walked out of her apartment. As soon as he was out of the building and far enough away from the complex, he allowed his defenses to drop. Trembling slightly, he ducked into an alley and covered his mouth to hold in a quiet sob. He _hated_ crying, but what else could he do? His girlfriend kept judging his friends and doubting him—even when she _thought_ she wasn’t. Vanitas, Roxas, Axel, and Ven were the most important people to him.

_Ven_…

Swallowing back his sobs and wiping his eyes, Terra pulled out his phone and dialed the number.

_“Terra?”_

Terra couldn’t help the tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It had only taken Ven a split second to answer his phone, as was to be expected.

“Hey, Ven… Is it okay if I come over for a bit…?” he asked, not liking that his voice was heavy with emotion.

_“Ah—did something happen? Well, obviously, you wouldn’t sound so upset if it was nothing—ah, never mind, we’ll talk about it in a bit. Of course you can come over. Door’s unlocked, just come in, hm?”_

Terra’s smile widened slightly.

“Yeah… Thanks…”

_“Of course… We’re friends, aren’t we?” _

An unpleasant twinge stung Terra’s heart. What was happening?

“Yeah…” he simply said. “Yeah, you’re right… Thanks, Ven…”

_“We’ll talk more when you get here, okay? Be safe on your way over!”_

“Mm, will do. See you in a bit.”

_“See you_.”

With that, Terra ended the call. What was this slight ache he felt? Of course he and Ven were friends—_best_ friends. So why did his heart hurt when Ven stated the obvious? He didn’t understand…

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Terra made his way to Ven’s place. A smile crept to his face when he saw the tiny house in view, appreciating the vibrant flowers that decorated the front yard. He was never surprised by how beautiful the blossoms were—Ven’s love of plants led him down the path of a botanist, after all. Ven had always had a green thumb, and the plants he grew always made Terra smile with how charming they were. In a way, they were just like Ven—charming, beautiful, full of love and light…

“Ah…”

Terra felt himself flush at the thought. What was going _on_ with him lately? No, not lately. He knew the thoughts were always there for a while, but he had usually been successful in pushing them away. Even before he started dating Aqua he had these thoughts, but he didn’t want to entertain them longer than necessary. Ven was his most precious friend, and he was dating Aqua.

…But that didn’t mean he was necessarily _happy_…

“_No_, Terra,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he made his way for Ven’s door. “You _are_ happy.”

Not bothering to knock—as was the usual custom between them—he let himself in. Ven looked up from his spot on the sofa and smiled.

“Hey, you…”

Terra returned the smile.

“Hey…”

Ven patted the space beside him, and Terra happily occupied the spot. As soon as he felt Ven’s reassuring hand on his shoulder, he let out a shuddering breath and allowed his shoulders to slump.

“We…got in another fight…” he murmured, eyes downcast.

Ven frowned.

“Was it about hanging out with us again?”

Terra nodded, taking note of the bite in Ven’s tone. He _really_ hoped Ven wouldn’t confront Aqua; the last thing he wanted was for things to escalate even more than they already had.

“Please, Ven… Don’t…don’t confront her about it… _Please_…” he whispered, not wanting to beg but desperate to try and keep the peace.

The younger man shook his head.

“I won’t. But Terra, I gotta be honest with you. I’m gonna tell you what I think, and you’re not gonna like all that I have to say.”

Terra looked at him. Ven’s eyebrows were scrunched in frustration, his sky-blue eyes clouded with anger. His lips were bowed into a deep frown, and his cheeks were flushed from the rage he was trying to contain. Terra had only seen Ven this upset a handful of times, most of them involving himself in some form or another. Whenever anyone slighted Terra, Ven was always there, up in arms and ready to throw down if he needed to. Fortunately Terra was always able to calm him down, and Ven’s good-natured spirit would shine through not long after, but this time it felt different. This time Ven wasn’t just angry—he was _hurt_.

“I didn’t say anything in front of the guys because it’s a private matter,” Ven continued, not breaking eye contact with his friend. “But now I’m gonna just come out and say it: Aqua doesn’t deserve you.”

The words hit Terra like a sucker punch to the gut. His breath hitched and his eyes widened. All he could do was stare dumbfounded at his best friend in silence. Ven nodded and took that as his cue to continue.

“I know you think you’re happy with her, but I can see it clear as day. We all can. We’ve been best friends for how long? I know you better than that. I can see you’re hiding your pain and trying to convince yourself that you’re happy with her, when you’re not. I know that she’s a good person and she’s trying her best, but she lacks empathy. If someone does something wrong in her eyes, that’s it. There’s no redemption. She either has to eradicate the behavior or kick ‘em to the curb. She’ll accept you for what you _could_ be, but not completely as you are.”

Terra shook his head and interrupted.

“That—that's not true, Ven…”

Ven frowned even more.

“Oh no? What about all the times she mentioned she didn’t like how you get angry at rumors about your friends? Or basically at anything? What was it she said? ‘You shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you,’ or something like that?”

Terra swallowed.

“…'You shouldn’t let yourself be consumed by anger’…”

“Yeah. So what have you been doing? Holding back your frustrations around her. Because she doesn’t like seeing you angry, you bottle it up and can only let out your true feelings when you’re around me or the guys. That’s not fair to you _at all_. Sure, she’s got a point in that you shouldn’t let the things that anger you control your life, _but_ you’re allowed to be angry.”

The volume of Ven’s voice was gradually increasing, and his face flushed an even darker shade of red. He shook his head for a moment before continuing.

“You’re _allowed_ to just get fucking _pissed off_ and react that way, Terra—assholes were spreading rumors about the people you care about! Should you let that anger consume your life? _No_. _But_ you shouldn’t have to hold that emotion back just because it upsets your girlfriend to see you react that way to things that are clearly a big deal to you! By that logic, _I _shouldn’t be allowed to get angry when she treats you poorly! But no, here I am, ranting and _pissed_.”

Terra still kept quiet, trying to process what Ven was telling him and formulate a response.

“Speaking of which!” Ven exclaimed, now completely riled. “_She’s_ the first to fall for those rumors to begin with—especially ones about _you_! Remember that one time when you came here, upset and _hurt_ because she was like, ‘I heard about what you’ve done the other night’ at the Enchanted Dominion? Some jerk told her that you got shitfaced and started a bar fight or whatever, when you didn’t? You _literally_ just stopped in for a drink with Axel? Seriously, where’s the trust? Or _now_. _Now_, when she keeps trying to _guilt trip you_ for the people you hang out with! She doesn’t trust you, Terra. She doesn’t like seeing the ‘darker’ side of you or the people you care about. Honestly, why is she even dating you, then? If she can’t accept _all_ of you from the start, what even is the point? Tell me that.”

“Ven…”

“All of that, plus she constantly _patronizes_ you, like you’re a _child_. It’s like she’s trying to steer you clear of anything she deems as an obstacle or problem and shield you from the world. She acts like everything you do is _her _responsibility. She’s not your mom, for fuck’s sake! You’re a grown-ass _adult_ who can take care of _himself_!!”

“_Ventus_!!”

Ventus stopped, startled by Terra’s shouting. Seeing how upset Terra was, he forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down.

“I get it,” Terra grumbled, clenching his fists over his lap. “You made your point.”

The younger man sighed softly and rested back into the couch.

“Okay, I flew off the handle. I’m sorry about that, but…I stand by what I said, Terra,” he said, looking back at his friend. “I told you you wouldn’t like what I had to say, but it’s the truth.”

Terra sighed and hung his head.

“I know,” he said quietly. “You’re not…you’re not wrong, but it still…hurts…”

Ven’s heart stung. He wanted to take all the pain Terra was feeling and just bring it onto himself; he would take on all the pain of the world just so Terra would be happy if he could. As much as he did like Aqua for other reasons, he thought that when it came to relationships, she was a lousy girlfriend. Then again, he only heard Terra’s side of the story whenever he confided in him. Perhaps it was unfair to judge her so harshly, but at the end of the day she still ended up hurting Terra way too much—one time was _enough_, but it was almost becoming a _normal_ thing.

“Maybe I’m just too sensitive,” Terra continued, shaking his head. “I know that she’s in the wrong, but…she’s coming from a good place, you know? She does it because she cares…”

Ven sighed.

“No, you’re not too sensitive. _Anybody_ would be hurt in your situation, especially so often. And I know she cares—she wouldn’t hover over you if she didn’t—but putting you down and putting your _friends_ down for petty reasons isn’t okay. At all. Doubting you, doubting _us_, worrying about you when there’s no reason to… Not to mention people who know her keep making you feel bad for dating her! You even _compare yourself to her_, Terra. You compare yourself to her and you think you’re not _good enough_. It’s _bullshit_, and it’s. It’s _unhealthy_. Your relationship with Aqua is unhealthy. There, I said it.”

Terra swallowed, not wanting to admit that he already figured that out a while ago. He _knew_ that being doubted all the time and comparing himself to his girlfriend wasn’t part of a stable, functional relationship. He knew that forcing himself to alter some of his behavior around Aqua wasn’t healthy, but he wanted to make it work _so bad_. He desperately wanted to prove that he was a good boyfriend and that he was capable of retaining a romantic relationship—especially with _Aqua_.

…He was _lucky to have her_, after all…

He was broken from his thoughts when he felt Ven pull him into his arms. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he rested against the younger man, head against his chest. Ven’s arms tightened around him.

“I know you’re trying to prove something to yourself, Terra…” Ven murmured, nuzzling into his hair. “But there’s nothing to prove… You may not be perfect to _her_, but…to _me_—to all of us, Vanitas, Roxas, and Axel—you _are_… You have your flaws, you have your moments, but you’re perfect _enough_… You’re a good man with a heart of gold… No one compares to you… Not in my eyes…”

Terra trembled, feeling his eyes well with tears. A soft sound escaped his burning throat as he buried his face against Ven’s chest and allowed himself to cry.

Ventus exhaled deeply and held Terra even tighter, nuzzling further into his long brown hair. His own eyes stung with tears, which he allowed to silently fall.

“I just want you to be _happy_,” he said, voice shaky and heavy with emotion. “If she legitimately made you happy, I’d be rooting for you…”

‘No matter how much it hurts,’ he wanted to add, but kept that part to himself. When Terra had told him he was dating Aqua, his heart shattered that day. He forced the brightest smile and congratulated him, as any best friend _should_ do, but that didn’t stop the pain he felt inside. For the longest time he had wished he had the courage to admit his feelings to Terra, but he didn’t want to make things _weird_. Terra was his best friend—closer to him than his own brother (much to Roxas’s ersatz dismay), and he was scared of losing him over something so trivial. Instead, he swallowed his pride and decided to cheer Terra on from the sidelines and support him when he needed it. What he hadn’t expected was that he would be supporting Terra so _often_. Of course all relationships had their problems, but Terra and Aqua’s problems appeared to be way too many.

Terra continued to cry into his chest, his large arms wrapping tightly around Ven’s lithe frame and clutching to him as if he were a lifeline. Ven let out a shaky breath and combed his fingers through Terra’s hair, wanting to be as comforting as possible now that he said his piece. He didn’t want to hurt Terra more, but he couldn’t allow himself to sit in silence any longer—everything he said _needed_ to be said. Now that he had said it, he could move on to what truly mattered: being there for Terra unconditionally.

Sobs wracked Terra’s body as he released his pent-up frustrations. Ven was the only person he felt comfortable enough to expose himself completely to, so he wasn’t worried as the tears continued to fall. Ven’s fingers continued to comb through his hair, which soon began to calm him. After a moment, his sobs quieted and his tears stopped falling. His heavy breathing steadied itself, but he made no move to pull away from the younger man’s tight embrace. Instead, he kept his hold on Ven and rested completely against him.

Ven smiled.

“Better…?”

“Y-yeah…” Terra rasped, a soft smile in his voice. “Thanks, Ven…”

“Mmhm… I’ll always be here when you need me…”

Terra exhaled.

‘I always need you,’ is what he _wanted_ to say, but he kept the sentiment to himself. Instead, he settled on, “I appreciate it.”

Ven nodded against his hair, making no motion to let go of his friend. Terra didn’t mind; he enjoyed being held like this.

A comfortable silence passed between them as they lounged there on the sofa, tangled in each other’s arms.

“All my life’s a struggle with water and wind,” Ven suddenly murmured, breaking the silence. “Two against one must be my story—as I make my way into the earth under the waves. There’s no country I can call my own. But I’ve learned to grow strong by being still. I know if I fail I’ll be broken, and all that’s part of me will be torn from me. Let me find my place among the stones, and be held. What am I?”

Terra glanced up at his friend.

“A riddle?” he asked.

“Mm, yeah,” Ven replied with a smile. “Take a guess!”

‘All my life’s a struggle with water and wind,’ huh? Yeah, that sounded about right. Terra chuckled and thought for a moment about the answer.

“An anchor?”

Ven grinned.

“Yep~ Good guess!”

Terra smiled.

“That’s an odd one. Where’d you learn that?”

“I read it in a translation book about ancient riddles awhile back. I liked that one so much that I made note to remember it. This may sound silly, but I thought of you when I read it.”

“Oh yeah…?”

Ven nodded, his hand lightly rubbing the older man’s back.

“Mmhm. Because you’re like an anchor. You’re strong, and you’ve learned to stand on your own. And…” He paused to chuckle. “And you’re in a constant struggle between ‘Water’ and ‘Wind.’”

“Ah—” Terra couldn’t help but laugh. “Jeez, are you a mind-reader now? I was _literally_ just thinking about that.”

Ven laughed as well.

“Great minds think alike~” he simply said, voice light and warm.

The sound made Terra’s heart warm in response. Hearing Ven’s laugh and seeing his smile always made him feel better. Whenever Ven was happy, _he_ was happy.

“Yeah…” he said with a smile, cheek still pressed against the younger man’s chest. “Guess they do, huh?”

“Uh-huh~”

They both laughed again, the atmosphere becoming much lighter than it had been. It never took long for the ‘good vibes’ to return whenever they were together. Even when they had their own little spats, they never lasted long and always ended in laughter. It was one of the many reasons they had stuck together for so long, after all.

…_Gods_, if only he had been dating Ventus instead…

Terra flushed at the sudden thought. Where did _that_ come from? No, such a thought was unacceptable. He was dating _Aqua_, and Ven was his _best friend_. He couldn’t keep having these sorts of thoughts. No matter what happened, he couldn’t allow himself to just use Ven as a rebound if it came to the worst.

…Maybe it needed to come to the worst….

As much as he didn’t like the idea of it, Ven had a point. Yet even before Ven said anything, Terra already _knew_. Of course he tried to deny it and pretend that he was happy, but there’s only so much one can take before reaching a breaking point. He was tired of the same arguments all the time and was tired of feeling worthless and incompetent due to Aqua’s cynicism. Of course he knew it wasn’t her intention to make him feel that way, but at the end of the day, it was still ongoing. He knew he needed to talk to her—perhaps sort the issue out—but he had a feeling that just like the previous attempts he made to break through to her, his efforts would once again be in vain. He didn’t want to give up, but…

…His feelings just weren’t what they used to be…

It was a harsh reality, but he knew he needed to face it. He couldn’t keep trying to convince himself that things were fine when he knew they _weren’t_. He couldn’t keep lying to himself just to try and prove he could maintain a relationship with the most sought-after woman in town—who also happened to be a close friend of his. He wasn’t just some ‘pretty boy’ to help her look good like some people called him, and he didn’t want her to ‘fix’ any mistakes he made. He didn’t need her to, because he could handle himself. She wasn’t his ‘savior;’ he didn’t need nor _want _one. He just wanted someone he could be_ equal_ to, both in his own eyes _and _to whoever he was with.

And unfortunately—although they had been friends for a long, long time—Aqua didn’t exactly consider them equal, either. Terra already felt inept compared to her because she excelled in nearly everything she did, but Aqua herself also possessed some sort of ‘savior complex’ when it came to other people making mistakes. She wanted fix everything for them, _especially_ for Terra—and treated any faults of his as her ‘responsibility’ to amend. In other words, even though she didn’t necessarily think herself _above_ Terra, she didn’t see him as someone on the same level of competence as her. It was as insulting as it was frustrating, and Terra knew he needed to do _something_ about it.

But what was the best course of action? Should he try and sort things out—as per usual—and hope for the best _this time_? Or should he just throw caution to the wind and break things off with her?

_Gods_, what a headache…

“…I don’t know what to do…” he quietly admitted aloud, more to himself rather than to Ven.

Ven sighed softly and gave him a reassuring squish.

“You will,” he replied gently. “You always manage to figure it out. I believe in you.”

Terra smiled, returning the squish.

“Thanks, Ven…”

“Mmhm… You hungry…?”

Terra suddenly remembered the food Aqua had given him. Still refusing to move from his spot in Ven’s arms, he shook his head.

“Nah, I’m good for now. Unless you’re tellin’ me _you’re _hungry?”

Ven shook his head, arms still tightly wrapped around his friend.

“I’m good for now, too. I see you brought food from Aqua’s, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Mm. I’ll maybe order a pizza for myself later—unless you want me to order one for the both of us so you’ll still have food for later?”

“Honestly? Pizza sounds amazing right now. But later. This is nice…”

Ven’s heart tripped. Yeah, it _was_ nice holding Terra like this. It _was_ nice having the embrace returned and the older man’s head resting against his chest. It was also nice that Terra thought it was nice. Then again, why wouldn’t he? This was nothing _new_. They did this all the time. Just…not for so _long_. Not that Ven cared; he’d stay like this forever with Terra if he could.

But he knew better.

He knew tomorrow Terra would go back to Aqua, and he’d be forced to watch from the sidelines until the next inevitable fight—rinse and repeat. As much as he wanted to intervene and yell at both of them to just move on because it’s not _working_, he wasn’t going to get involved more than he needed to. This was Terra’s problem to figure out; his role was to offer moral support whenever Terra needed it.

No matter what, he’d always be there.

Ven felt Terra’s breathing slow and his hold around him slacken. He smiled, knowing the older man was falling asleep. Keeping a tight hold on him, Ven resumed combing his fingers through Terra’s long hair. He wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what. It wasn’t long before he found himself closing his eyes as well, feeling the crash wash over him. He had worn himself out getting so angry and telling Terra what he thought about his relationship, and he knew Terra was exhausted as well. Pizza or whatever could definitely wait; right now, sleep sounded better, and he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity of having Terra in his arms while he did so.

“I’ll always be here…” he whispered, knowing Terra couldn’t hear him. “No matter what… Because…I love you so much… I always will…” 

Terra subconsciously snuggled further into his chest, almost as if he was responding. Ven quietly chuckled and gave him a tender squeeze. He knew Terra would never return his feelings, but that was okay. As long as Terra trusted him enough to confide in him, he was content. Even if Terra ended up breaking it off with Aqua and finding a new girlfriend, he’d still be content. As long as he got to stay by Terra’s side and be his friend, that’s all he could ever want.

Smiling slightly to himself as he nuzzled into Terra’s hair, he allowed himself to drift off, arms all the while still locked tightly around the larger man.

…No matter what…


	2. Waiting for a Star to Fall

Terra was grateful today was his day off. The same couldn’t be said for Ven, though.

He smirked to himself as he watched Ven hurriedly shuffle around the house in an attempt to get ready and be out the door on time. They had both awoken around the same time, still enfolded in each other’s arms on the couch. They hadn’t planned on staying asleep like that all night, but neither minded. After sharing groggy smiles, Ven checked his phone and had seen that he slept in way later than he should have. Hence, the whirlwind of getting ready began.

“Crap—my badge, where’s my…?! Ah-ha! …_Shit_!! I still need to water the children!!” Ven exclaimed, looking about ready to pull his hair out.

Terra laughed.

“Ven, calm down. Just get ready for work. I can take care of the ‘children,’” he said with a grin. “Who needs water?”

Ven exhaled deeply, shoulders slumping in relief. 

"Thanks, Terra, you’re the _best_. Let’s see, today Gilbert, Josephine, Stella, and Leonidas need water. Huey, Dewy, and Louie should be fine for the week, same with Xena, Sebastian, and the bushes outside… Oh! And Antoinette! She’s in the pot by the kitchen window—she _just _started to sprout.” 

Terra chuckled and nodded.

“Gilbert, Josephine, Stella, Leonidas, and Antoinette. Got it.”

Ven beamed, his eyes practically sparkling. The sight took Terra’s breath away.

“Thank you, thank you! _Ugh_, I owe you, _seriously_.”

Regaining his composure, Terra replied, “Nah, it’s the least I can do for you letting me stay over and helping me out…”

The younger man smiled and went over to give his friend’s shoulder a squeeze. Terra welcomed the touch and returned the gesture. The two of them stood that way for a moment before Ven nodded to himself and resumed his rush to get to work on time.

“Alright, I’m off! Stay as long as you want, help yourself to whatever. Just lock the door when you leave. I’ll be back around five-ish or so, so yeah! Anyway, you know the drill, I’m going—I got a microscope and several algae samples with my name on them!” 

Even in a rush and nearly half-asleep, Ven’s vibrancy shone through spectacularly. Terra had always admired Ven’s enthusiasm and optimism, just as he knew Ven in turn admired his grit and steadfastness. They complimented each other extraordinarily well, which was another reason they had been close friends for so long. They balanced each other out, which was always refreshing when Terra felt alone against the world. Ven had proven time and time again that he would be right there beside him, against the world as well, even when he didn’t need to be. He uplifted him, like the wind lifted the soil to carry it beyond its boundaries.

“Have a good day,” Terra said with a smile, giving Ven a wave. “I’ll keep you updated.”

Ven nodded and grinned.

“Yeah, you’d better~ See you later!”

With that, he was out the door. Terra chuckled and got up to water the plants Ven asked him to. He had been around enough to know which plant was named what, so it was an easy task. He couldn’t help but smile to himself as he looked at all the plants decorating Ven’s house; they were so full of love and life, thanks to the attention Ven gave them. Ven’s love was contagious, thanks to the bright light he seemed to carry with him. It didn’t matter what type of love it was—if Ven gave it, it was the most precious love of all.

“_Stop_,” Terra suddenly muttered to himself, forcing the thoughts away.

After sleeping on it, he had decided he would try and rekindle things with Aqua—despite the unpleasant tension in his stomach at the thought of seeing her later that evening. He _knew_ he shouldn’t feel like this—that he should be happy to see his girlfriend and the idea of hashing it all out and starting anew—but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to be. At least not _fully_.

Instead, his mind drifted to the feel of Ven’s surprisingly strong arms wrapped tightly around him, holding him as if he were the most cherished thing in the world. He could have sworn he heard Ven whisper something to him while he was asleep, but it could well have been a dream, too. What was it again?

_‘I love you so much… I always will…’_

Terra’s breath hitched as his heart hammered against his chest. There was no _way_ it was real, but…but why was his stomach doing flips at the thought? Why was the heat radiating from his cheeks? Why did he want to bury his face in his hands and let out the most uncharacteristic, unmanly squeak? This feeling was practically _new_; he hadn’t even felt like this when Aqua told him she liked him romantically. When she told him, he felt excited, sure, but it was more casual—not at all enthusiastic to the point where he wanted to shout it from rooftops, consequences be damned. He had assumed at the time that he was so calm about it because he liked her, too, and she was returning his feelings, but it was nothing like _this_; it was nothing like the sheer _elation_ he was feeling about a _dream_.

Terra shakily brought a hand to his mouth, eyes wide. What _was_ this…?

Quickly shaking the thoughts away, he moved to get ready for the day. He still had a lot he needed to do before taking Aqua to dinner—he couldn’t stay here, not right now.

Soon he was out the door, locking it behind him as Ven had requested. Sighing softly, he made his way down the street. Pangs of hunger distracted him from the idea of going back to his own apartment, and the thought of stopping at a café for a quick breakfast sounded appealing. He knew exactly where to go.

Once he reached his destination, he opened the door and walked in. He was about head up to the counter before a familiar head of blue hair caught his attention.

“Ah…”

Aqua didn’t seem to notice him at first, as she was preoccupied with her phone as she sipped on a cappuccino. Terra knew that she was absorbed in work business, so he chose to simply go up to the counter first. He couldn’t stop the bright smile from spreading across his lips as he was greeted by a familiar face.

“Hey, Rox!”

“Ah, hey!” Roxas said with a grin. “Black coffee with a bacon, egg, and gouda sandwich?”

Terra chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah. Gee, it’s almost like I frequent the place~”

Roxas snorted and took his credit card.

“Whaaaat? Nah, man, I’m just psychic~”

Terra laughed. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Aqua shift. She must have recognized his laugh. Roxas frowned, noticing the hint of discomfort on Terra’s face.

“Oh, yeah. Your girlfriend’s here,” he grumbled, swiping Terra’s card and returning it to him. “Gimme a sec, I’ll get your stuff out.”

Terra swallowed and nodded.

“Y-yeah… Thanks…”

Roxas nodded. As he turned to start working on Terra’s order, he kept an ear open. He wasn’t fond of Aqua, and Ven had filled him in about the events of the previous night; he wasn’t going to let the tirade towards Terra continue. He was tired of being judged and found wanting when Aqua didn’t even _know him_. He also couldn’t stand how Terra allowed her to step all over him—this time he wasn’t going to remain silent if things got out of hand. He glanced over at his friend, though he did his best to be as discreet as possible.

Aqua turned to Terra in surprise.

“I thought I heard your laugh,” she said with a half-smile, gesturing to the empty seat across from her. Her smile broadened as he obliged. “How are you feeling?”

Terra returned her smile, although only halfheartedly. His conversation with Ven replayed in his mind, and he once again found himself straddling some sort of line on if he wanted to genuinely try and make things work with her (again) or if he wanted to call it quits. Dismissing the thoughts, he decided that his best course of action would be to make up with her and keep fighting the ‘good fight.’

…Not that being in a relationship should be _any_ sort of ‘fight’…

“Better,” he replied, immediately brushing the thought away. “You?”

Aqua nodded.

“Better as well. Did you eat the food I sent with you?”

Terra remembered the leftovers that were still sitting in Ven’s refrigerator. He remembered Ven had wanted to order pizza, and he was all for that, but they both ended up falling asleep before that could ever happen. No wonder the hunger pains were so intense this morning.

“Yeah,” he lied, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “It was delicious, thank you…”

If Aqua had noticed, she didn’t let on. Instead, she just smiled and nodded.

“I’m glad. So, are we still on for dinner tonight?”

Terra nodded.

“Yeah. You work today?”

“Mm. I’m actually waiting for a client for a meeting, but he shouldn’t be here for another half-hour or so.”

The cerulean-eyed man chuckled and shook his head.

“Typical. You’re always super early when you don’t have to be.”

The blue-haired woman chuckled as well and shrugged.

“Well, I don’t like eating or drinking things in front of coworkers or clients, so…”

Terra only shrugged in response. Aqua was always determined to keep up appearances when it came to her job. He didn’t know if she felt that eating in front of clients and business partners was showing some form of ‘vulnerability,’ but he really didn’t care; what she wanted to do when she worked was her own business.

His mind suddenly drifted to Ven and how he didn’t care if he showed any ‘vulnerabilities;’ he’d eat, laugh, cry, or be mad with anyone. It didn’t matter if it was a coworker or a complete stranger on the street—Ven was always himself and open with _everyone_. He was the “take me or leave me” kind of type; he never put on appearances. Although it could sometimes get Ven in trouble, Terra adored the quality. He admired Ven’s honesty and _realness_ when it came to just being _himself_.

Terra desperately wanted to be like Ven in that regard—to be _open_ and _himself_ with everyone—but it was just so difficult when he constantly felt pressured to be something else entirely. Well, maybe not _entirely_, but he did have to hold himself back more than he cared to admit, so it was just as bad.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted at the sound of Aqua turning her attention to a newcomer. When he looked over, he saw it was one of Aqua’s coworkers.

“Ah, Aqua, hey!” he greeted cheerfully, practically ignoring Terra.

Aqua smiled and nodded.

“Good morning. Coffee run?”

The man chuckled and nodded.

“Yep. Gotta get to the office quick, though. Bunch of paperwork to sort through and all that…”

Aqua nodded understandingly.

“Mm, definitely need to get that done.” She smiled and gave him a soft chuckle. “If you need any help, I can offer some assistance if I get some free time.”

The coworker grinned and nodded.

“Aqua, you are an _angel_.” Without missing a beat, he turned to Terra and simply said, “You are one lucky man to have her.”

Terra’s blood ran cold. 

Before he could utter a response, Aqua patted his knee and chuckled.

“We’re _both_ lucky to have each _other_,” she said for him.

Behind the counter, Terra heard Roxas hiss. Thankfully no one else had noticed, but Terra knew that Roxas wouldn’t let his frustration go unnoticed for long.

_Shit_.

Aqua’s coworker shrugged.

“Maybe, but you sure are something special, Aqua. Anyone would be lucky to have you. Not that anyone actually deserves you, but yeah.”

Aqua only chuckled, albeit awkwardly.

“Thank you…?”

Terra swallowed. What could he possibly say? Just as he thought he was about to come up with a decent rebuttal, the other man simply gave Aqua a small wave before he made his way up to the counter. Roxas looked _livid_.

Terra watched as Aqua’s coworker unflinchingly placed his order. Surprisingly, Roxas didn’t say anything. Instead, he quietly took the order before turning to make it. That couldn’t have been good.

He continued to observe his friend as Aqua returned to her phone. Roxas’s angry blue eyes glanced in his direction. As soon as he noticed Terra was watching, a mischievous glint lit up his eyes. That look was all Terra needed to know that whatever vendetta Roxas now had against this man, it was about to go _down_.

Terra glanced at Aqua’s coworker, who wasn’t paying attention at all. He instead stood off to the side, preoccupied with his phone. While he was distracted, he didn’t notice Roxas grab a salt shaker and unscrew the lid. With a wicked smirk, he dumped the whole thing into the man’s coffee. Terra gaped.

“Here’s your coffee,” Roxas said with the most sickeningly sweet voice he could muster. Terra shuddered. This was _not_ going to end well.

Aqua’s coworker nodded and grabbed the cup. Without so much as a simple “thank you,” he started walking towards the door. He of course took the time to say goodbye to Aqua, but after that he was on his way. Or so it seemed.

In less than a minute of walking out of the café, the now-disgruntled man stormed back inside. Terra glanced at Roxas, who couldn’t hide his smug smile.

“What the hell is this?!” Aqua’s coworker shouted, causing the other patrons to look over in his direction. “What the fuck did you put in here?!”

“Uh-oh, looks like someone’s a little…_salty_,” Roxas jeered, obviously quite pleased with himself for both his avenging action and his pun.

Aqua’s coworker threw the contaminated cup of coffee onto the ground. Aqua jolted, about to spring into action, but Terra stopped her. She gave him a displeased look. Terra only shook his head to let her know it was best to stay out of it. Although she was clearly annoyed at being told what to do, Aqua relented and watched on.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?!” the coworker continued to shout, causing the other customers to shift uncomfortably in their seats. “What’s the meaning of this?!”

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stop shouting. You’re upsetting the other customers,” Roxas replied without missing a beat.

“_Fuck you_!!” the other man bellowed. “Where’s your manager?! I’ll see to it that you’re _fired_ for this!!”

Roxas smirked.

“Oh, sorry. I _am_ the manager.”

This only infuriated the man even more.

“You little _bitch_!!”

Roxas snorted.

“Listen here and listen good, dickhead. You come in to _my shop_ and insult _my friend_, and you think I’m gonna sit here and let it happen? Not on my watch—”

“What the fuck are you talking about, asshole?! I didn’t do _shit_!!”

As much as Terra didn’t want to get involved, he felt he needed to. After all, this whole issue started because of _him_…

“Okay, enough,” he said, standing.

“_Terra_,” Aqua hissed.

Terra ignored her.

“Rox, thanks, but this was unnecessary…”

“_Unnecessary_? _Terra_. You think I’m gonna let this _douchecanoe _talk to you like that? He—”

Aqua’s coworker turned to Terra.

“You stay out of this, _pussy_!! Some nerve _you_ have, pretending you have balls _now_ of all times!!”

Terra was about to angrily retort, and Roxas was about to rip the man a new one, but Aqua stepped in.

“That’s _enough_!!”

The three men froze and looked at her. Her coworker suddenly looked shamefaced, Roxas only looked _angrier_, and Terra knew that he was going to get an earful after this whole situation was said and done.

“If we’re all done being _children_, we’ll get this mess cleaned up, give our customers their proper orders, and stop causing a scene!!”

Her coworker sheepishly turned to grab a large bunch of napkins, muttering a quick apology to her as he attempted to soak up most of the liquid. Roxas growled, clearly about to tell her off, but Terra shook his head in a silent attempt to dissuade him. A fight with Aqua wasn’t worth it, _especially_ since Roxas was still on the clock and already caused unnecessary turmoil in the shop. Terra definitely appreciated his friend’s attempt to defend him, but he knew it was over the line. Judging from the look on Roxas’s face, he could tell his friend realized it, too.

Reluctantly, Roxas turned to make the coworker a fresh beverage—nix the salt, if only literally. Terra sighed. What started out as a nice morning was quickly spiraling into yet another bad day. Ven was definitely going to be upset with Roxas, but even more so once he knew about _why_ Roxas acted out in the first place. Terra had no idea what to do next.

He just couldn’t win, could he?

Beside him, Aqua lowered her voice so only he could hear. 

“See? You wonder why I’m always concerned about your friends. Well, this is one reason—causing unnecessary scenes in public.”

Terra frowned. 

“Let it go, Aqua. He was just trying to be a good friend and defend me.” 

“_Defend_ you? From _what_? Nothing happened that warranted ‘defending’ you, Terra!” 

“Oh, _bite it_, _Mom_, you don’t know shit!” Roxas snapped at her, unable to contain his rage anymore. “Maybe if you actually paid more attention to your boyfriend’s _feelings_ and listened to him instead of trying to mold him to your expectations, you’d be able to recognize the _problem_!!” 

“_Excuse_ me?!”

“You heard _exactly_ what I said!!” 

Terra intervened, just wanting the day to be over already—and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. 

“_Stop_. Both of you. No more. Let’s just get this mess cleaned up and get on with our lives. It’s over, it’s done. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused. Are we happy now?”

Aqua and Roxas sneered at one another, clearly wanting to exchange further words, but thankfully they respected Terra’s request to stop. Aqua’s coworker only grunted, going to get more napkins to wipe up the coffee on the floor. Terra sighed and moved to help. Aqua quietly huffed and did the same, while Roxas headed to the back to grab the mop. After everything was cleaned up, the café finally started to settle down. Although the tension was still clearly there between the four of them, Roxas was thankful the other customers began to relax again.

Aqua gathered up her belongings after sending a quick text to her client to meet her at a different coffee shop, as she “no longer planned on doing business with this establishment.” Terra slumped into his seat, which earned him a displeased glare from the blue-haired woman. 

“…_What_?” he asked curtly, starting to get agitated with her.

Aqua bristled at his tone.

“You’re just going to stay here after all that?”

“Uh, _yeah_? Like it or not, Aqua, Roxas is still my friend and I like this joint. I don’t have to do everything you do, y’know.”

The blue-haired woman frowned.

“…Fine. Do whatever you want, then,” was all she said as she turned to exit the café.

Terra groaned and ran a hand through his hair. He definitely didn’t want to go out for dinner anymore, but he had already promised he’d take her. Terra Abelard was _not_ one to go back on his promises, so he was going to power through it. Besides, they needed to have another talk. If the argument from the previous night and now this morning were anything to go by, he knew that their relationship was in serious jeopardy.

Closing his eyes and resting back into the chair, he replayed the explosive events just minutes prior in his mind.

What would Ven have done if he was in Aqua’s position, or Roxas’s?

Terra felt a bit guilty about the whole situation. Really, what Aqua’s coworker had said wasn’t a big deal, but…it still hurt. It hurt every time one of Aqua’s acquaintances told him that. He knew what they meant; he knew they were deliberately implying that he wasn’t good enough for her, and that he was worthless without her there to ‘help’ him fix all his mistakes. He was grateful that Roxas was there to defend him, just as he knew his other friends would. His only regret was that it escalated way beyond what it needed to, and now he was stuck in another quarrel with Aqua.

Fantastic.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes and pulled out his phone. His first instinct was to reach out to Aqua to try and ease the situation, but he stopped himself. Instead, he texted Ven about what had happened—the much more favorable option in his opinion. He knew Ven would be angry about everything, but honestly Terra was at a point where he’d much rather deal with Ven’s wrath than Aqua’s judgement. It was like being stuck between a raging hurricane and the impending force of a tsunami. At least in the eye of the hurricane, there was calm; with a tsunami, not so much. He remembered the riddle Ven had told him.

‘My life’s a struggle with water and wind,’ indeed.

Well, no more. He didn’t want to subject himself to such a struggle any longer. Today he was going to make a choice. He nodded to himself and glanced at his phone, waiting for Ven’s response. Instead, he heard Roxas scoff.

“What the hell, Terra, did you _have_ to tell Ven about what just happened? He’s seriously tearing into me right now!”

Terra snickered.

“Sorry, Rox, but it would’ve come up one way or another.” 

“Yeah, yeah. At least he’s _thanking_ me while also calling me an idiot. So I _suppose_ it’s some sort of win.” 

Terra’s phone buzzed, causing him to look down. He grinned when he saw it was a message from Ven.

_<WHAT is going on over there?! Okok nvm idc i’m just glad that asshole is gone and honestly i’m glad Roxie put salt in that dick’s coffee cuz he DESERVED IT. >:T still tho, it was a little extreme, so don’t tell him i’m technically enabling him or else he’ll get /ideas/. I’m proud of you for being civil tho :) are you doing ok yourself?>_

Terra’s heart warmed. Even just a text from Ven made him happy; it was weird how that worked. He responded to the text with a fond smile. Roxas sighed and chuckled from behind the counter, causing Terra to turn his attention to him.

“Jeez, you’re really soft for him, huh?”

Terra blushed and sputtered.

“W-what? What are you on about?”

“Look, man. It’s plain as day. You gotta tell him.”

Terra gawked at his friend.

“T-tell him _what_, exactly?”

Roxas snorted and gave him the most unamused look.

“Dude, you know what I’m talking about. Van and Axel see it, too. What are you still doing with _Aqua_? Clearly you’re into Ven, and I _suppose_ I’ll allow it because it’s _you_.”

“_Whaaaat_…?! _Roxas_, that’s…! I can’t…! He isn’t even…!!”

Terra was at a loss for words. Sure, he’s been noticing things about Ven lately—well, not _lately_, he’s always noticed them, but now they’re starting to become more _obvious_—but that didn’t mean he was going to break up with his girlfriend and ask Ven to be with him instead, did it? Of course not! Besides, it’s not like—

“Ven’s not even _interested_ in me like that, jeez…!!”

Roxas _stared_ at him. Terra didn’t like that look. Not. One. Bit.

“Okay, Terra, I get pissed off when people call you dumb because you aren’t, but right now? You’re being _dumb_.” 

The older man huffed.

“Whadaya mean _dumb_?! I mean sure, Ven comes off as a little flirty sometimes, but that’s normal! I could just be misinterpreting things, anyway! You know how like people tend to be really nice, and suddenly someone falsely interprets that niceness as ‘being into them’? That could be what I’m doing, and I don’t want to! He’s my best friend!!” 

Roxas felt his eye twitch. It was a fair point, sure, but the affection Ven gave Terra went _well_ beyond just being ‘nice’ to where it seemed ‘flirty.’ No, Roxas knew that his dear brother was in fact _flirting _with Terra. Hell, even _Axel and Vanitas_ recognized that Ventus was flirting. Either Terra was really dense or he just didn’t recognize subtle hints that someone was _really _into him—Roxas was convinced it was more the latter than the former, but hoo boy could Terra be oblivious sometimes. In Terra’s defense, though, he knew that his friend’s self-esteem was so low that he automatically assumed that _no one_ could possibly be interested in him unless they flat-out told it to his face; but even then he tended to be skeptical. For that he primarily blamed Aqua and her army of jealous fuckboys and their habits of either disregarding Terra’s doubts about himself (_Aqua_) or just straight up putting him down (_fuckboys_). 

Roxas sighed and shook his head.

“Look,” he said. “You do you, but how do _you_ feel about Ven?”

Terra paused. Instinctively placing a hand over his heart, he glanced down at the table and thought about everything Ven meant to him. He reflected on the thoughts he’s been having lately and how happy he always is to be around him. He thought about how he sometimes wished he was with Ven instead of Aqua, and about how much he admired the love and support Ven gave not just him, but _everyone_. He already acknowledged long ago that Ven was beautiful—the _most_ beautiful in his opinion, but of course he’d never let Aqua or anyone else know—so that was hardly a factor in any of this. He thought about the feeling of Ven’s arms wrapped tightly around him and the steady beating of his heart, and how being with him always felt so _right_.

…He thought about how _ecstatic_ he was earlier just from a dream of Ven saying he loved him…

“I…need to think about it…”

Roxas exhaled and nodded.

“Mm, understandable. Here, I got you another coffee to make up for the clusterfuck from earlier. It’s on the house.”

“Ah—you didn’t have to do that…”

The younger man chuckled. 

“I _know_ I didn’t, but I wanted to. I should actually probably do that for everyone else in here. I know I’d be losing money, but uh. Yeah, I overreacted and made ‘em uncomfortable, so. Yeah. Anyway, you headed out?”

Terra returned the chuckle and nodded. 

“Yeah… I’m gonna go hang out at the usual spot for a while. I’m not in the mood to really go home, and I’ve got nothing else to do today, so…”

“Cool. Van might be there. Today’s his day off too, so if you need someone else to talk to, he’ll prolly be there.”

“Alright. Well if that’s the case, I’ll buy him something, too.” 

Roxas nodded.

“The sugariest cup of syrup with a smidge of coffee, comin’ right up. Hopefully that’ll appease Van’s fuckin’ ravenous sweet tooth for a little bit, anyway.”

Terra couldn’t help himself from physically cringing at the idea of Vanitas’s infamous sweet tooth; the man would swallow an entire bag of raw sugar if left up to his own devices. If it wasn’t for the horrible stomach ache he ended up with after he did it the _first _time, he’d do it again. Thankfully, Vanitas was actually smart and was capable of learning from his past mistakes.

With a chuckle, he paid for Vanitas’s drink and nodded.

“I think this’ll do. I hope he’s there, otherwise I’m dumping this down the sink because I sure as heck won’t drink it…” 

Roxas snorted.

“Yeah, same. I like sweets, but Vanitas takes it to an _extreme_.”

“Well, he _is_ basically feral, chaotic energy on high, so is it really fair to expect anything else?”

Both men laughed at the description of their friend. Terra was starting to feel a little better, but the looming dread of going to dinner with Aqua that evening still weighed heavy on his mind. That, along with what Roxas had said about Ven, made it difficult to bounce back from the awful morning he’d had so far. He was hoping that spending some time in the usual spot would help him relax. Although Vanitas was intense, he also gave good advice, so Terra was hoping he was indeed at the hangout. With a wave, Terra parted ways with Roxas and left the café.

Upon arriving to their hangout, Terra heard the muffled serenade of the electric guitar accompanied by what could only be described as _siren song_. He grinned at the affirmation that Vanitas was there. No one else could play nor sing quite like Vanitas. Ven and Roxas came close, but Vanitas was in a league all his own. How he hadn’t been discovered by a talent agency yet was beyond all four of the friends, but Vanitas didn’t mind; he was content playing his own way and living life _freely_ without the restrictions of record labels and out of the public eye. His music was soothing, so Terra knew that coming down was a good choice. Sugary coffee drink in hand, he made his way inside.

“Mm?” Vanitas looked over and smirked. “’Sup?”

Terra smiled and held up the cup. 

“Hey, Van. Just coming to hang out and clear my head. Rox told me you’d most likely be here, so I came prepared.” 

“Aww, you shouldn’t have~” the raven-haired man said, gleefully taking the beverage. 

Terra chuckled and took a seat on the couch opposite of where Vanitas was sitting. Resting back, he closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

“I’m…thinking about breaking up with Aqua tonight,” he said after a moment. 

Vanitas glanced at him as he sipped his coffee. 

“Mm? No shit? _Good_.” 

The response stunned Terra.

“H-_huh_?”

“What, you didn’t hear me the first time? I said _good_. Your relationship with her is _garbage_, Terra. You should’ve gotten out a long time ago. Anyone who constantly doubts you and tries to make you fit into a neat little box they designed for you because they don’t like _all _of you is bullshit. And if you’re constantly comparing yourself to her and keep being put down by her _and_ those assholes who are obsessed with her, that’s even _worse_. Face it, Terra. Aqua is no good for you—at least in a relationship. Obviously she cares about you, but the kind of care she’s giving you, you gotta ask yourself: is this care coming from someone who’s working to be my partner, or is it coming from someone who’s still stuck in ‘friendship mode’? She keeps trying to _babysit_ you. _Lovers_ don’t do that shit.”

Terra had no idea how to respond. 

“I…” 

Vanitas shook his head.

“Stop making excuses. You know this. You’ve _always_ known this. You keep saying, ‘Oh, I’m happy, I’m happy! I’m happy with Aqua!’ But are you? Are you _really_? Because you sure as shit don’t seem like it to me. Or Roxas. Or Axel. Or _Ventus_.” 

The older man’s breath hitched at the emphasis on Ven’s name. The younger one nodded, golden eyes set on him. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” 

“Huh?” 

“Say it.”

“S-say _what_?”

“For fuck’s sake, just _say it_ already!! Stop lying to yourself and say what you _know_ is true!!" 

“I don’t—” 

Vanitas growled and cranked up the volume on his amplifier. Popping his neck and rolling his shoulders, he began to play. The rhythm was fast, loud, and _intense_. Terra had to process what his friend was trying to say for a moment before realization hit him.

“If you won’t say it on your own, scream it with the music!!” Vanitas shouted over the sound. “Fuckin’ _let it out already_!!”

Terra’s eyes narrowed. He ground his teeth and clenched his fists. Roxas and Vanitas were right. He came to the hangout to do some soul searching, but did he really need to? No. No, he needed to do what he should have done _months_ ago. He needed to break the chains on his heart and free both himself and Aqua, so they could both actually be _happy_. Growling to himself, he stood up.

“_I don’t love Aqua_!!” he bellowed.

Vanitas grinned, strumming harder. 

“Louder!!” he commanded. 

Terra felt the adrenaline rush. He needed this. He _needed_ to break _free_—free from Aqua and her judgement, free from all those who put him down, and free from his _denial_.

“I don’t want to be with her anymore!! The past six months have been _miserable_ with her!! We should’ve just stayed friends!! I’m _done_!!”

“Is that all?!”

“_Fuck_ if it is!!” Terra snapped, momentarily startling Vanitas by the sudden cuss word (Terra _never_ cussed, let alone with that much ferocity). “I’m only getting started!!”

The raven-haired man’s eyes narrowed as a wicked grin spread across his lips.

“Then what else _is there_?!”

Terra’s heart raced. It was too late to retract what he said. He needed to say it. He needed to admit it. He…

“_I…_” he swallowed, fists curled tightly by his sides. “I…!”

Vanitas snarled and played harder. The music wasn’t exactly _angry_, but its intensity told Terra that his friend was done playing games.

“I…I love Ven…!” he shouted, but not nearly as passionately as his previous declarations. 

“_What_?! I can’t hear you over your _spinelessness_!!”

Terra snarled. He was _not _spineless. Summoning all the strength and courage inside him, he _roared_. 

“I _said_…_I love Ventus Faeth Astrophel_!!”

And just like that, Terra felt his world _shatter_. The weight of the world was thrust from his shoulders, the shackles imprisoning him in his misery dissipating. He collapsed into the sofa, his energy spent. Sweat pooled under his long hair and beaded down his face. He panted, his energy entirely spent. His heart hammered in his chest and he felt like he was just punched in the gut, but he felt _amazing_. 

Vanitas stopped playing and cackled. His cackling then erupted into raucous laughter as he clapped his hands.

“Holy _shit_!” he excitedly exclaimed. “You should’ve _seen_ yourself!”

Terra grinned. He chortled, still trying to catch his breath and come down from the adrenaline high he was feeling.

“Y-yeah… That was _intense_. Thanks for that…”

Vanitas nodded.

“I was getting tired of you lying to yourself all the goddamn time, so it had to be done. Too bad we can’t go back in time and replay that moment.”

“Actually, we totally can~ Got the whole thing recorded, nice work~”

Both Terra and Vanitas jolted at the unexpected voice.

“_Axel_! Since when the hell did you get here?” the golden-eyed man asked, gesturing their friend inside.

Axel grinned and sauntered over to an adjacent recliner and kicked up his feet.

“Oh, right around the time you told Terra to stop lying to himself. It seemed like an intense moment and I didn’t wanna interrupt. I’m glad I didn’t, because that jam session was _quality_.”

He grinned and held up his phone for good measure.

Terra sighed and chuckled.

“Just do me a favor and _don’t_ send Ven that video, yeah? I’ll tell him, but I want it to be a surprise, y’know? I mean, there’s no guarantee that he feels the same about me, but I’d rather try than keep sitting in the dark on it.”

Axel and Vanitas gawked at their friend.

“What, are you _nuts_?!” the raven-haired man exclaimed. 

“What do you _mean_ there’s ‘no guarantee’ Ven feels the same?!” the redhead added, completely dumbfounded.

Terra held up his hands, suddenly recalling the conversation he had with Roxas just moments prior.

“Okay, Roxas and I already had this kind of discussion earlier—”

“So you should maybe _listen_?” Vanitas interjected. “I mean, he _is_ Ven’s _twin brother_. If anyone knows what’s going on with Venty-Wenty, it’s _Roxas_. And don’t think I don’t know shit myself! Because I do. We all do. You’re just in denial.”

“_Again_,” Axel added, nodding in agreement. 

Terra frowned.

“What do you mean? I’m trying not to get my hopes up, here! Ven and I are _best friends_. You think I wanna ruin what we already have? Not a chance. He deserves to know, but if in the off-chance he _does _feel the same, I don’t want our relationship to turn out the same way mine and Aqua’s has.”

Vanitas and Axel shared an exasperated look. Terra snorted and crossed his arms.

“Do you _seriously_ believe that would happen if you two got together?” the youngest man asked, shaking his head. “This is you and _Ven_ we’re talking about. Sure, you and Aqua were really good friends before you got together, but she was always doing the same shit even _before_ you got together, yeah? Look at the difference between the friendship you have with Aqua and the one you have with Ven. There’s no comparison.”

The emerald-eyed man nodded again.

“Right? Ven accepts you and believes in you wholeheartedly. Sure, he flies off the handle when someone insults you or hurts you, but that’s like, minor compared to being judged and constantly found wanting by your own girlfriend because she doesn’t think the flaws you have are suitable for her ‘significant other’ or whatever.”

“Hey, I don’t think she’s _that_ extreme,” Terra muttered, shaking his head. “She’s coming from a good place, but you’re right. She can be really overbearing and it really does feel like she’s trying to steer me down a path _she_ thinks is suitable _for _me—like I’m incapable of making my own decisions.”

Vanitas nodded.

“Right. And Ven _wouldn’t _do that. You know this. He never has, and he never will. I think the most you’d have to worry about is him being overly excited for you and accidentally missing some crucial detail that may bite you in the ass later. Then again, he _has _grown up a lot since our high school days and is pretty observant nowadays, so I doubt that would really be an issue _anyway_. Either way, at least he’d still be supporting you no matter _what_.” 

"Just like he always has,” Axel added. “And when all else fails, you still have _us_. You and Ven both do. Me, Van, and Rox are always gonna be here for you and Ven, too. Come hell or high water.” 

Terra smiled. 

“Yeah… You’re right. Thanks, guys. I’ll talk to him.”

The other two men nodded.

“So, what’s next on the agenda?” Axel asked, glancing at his phone.

“Meh, I’m just chillin’,” Vanitas replied with a shrug, taking a sip of his coffee.

Terra nodded.

“Yeah, same. At least for a few hours. I promised Aqua last night I’d take her to dinner because we had an argument, and I didn’t stay for dinner at her place. I went to Ven’s to just…_unwind_, and he gave me an earful about how much Aqua and I just weren’t good for each other.” He paused to chuckle. “Just like you two and Roxas have all done today. I ended up staying the night with Ven, and I ran into Aqua this morning at Rox’s café. We somewhat made up, but then one of Aqua’s coworkers came in and gave me the whole ‘You’re lucky to have her’ bit, which made Roxas angry. So he—“

Axel laughed and nodded.

“So he dumped the entire contents of a salt shaker into this guy’s coffee, then came close to exchanging _words_ with Aqua. I heard~ Classic Roxas~”

Vanitas laughed, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

“_Fuck_, I love that kid~” he said.

Terra chuckled again.

“Yeah… And of course it turned into a big scene, which made Aqua angry. Even more so when I refused to leave with her. So, yeah, basically we had _another _spat today. I don’t know if she’ll even want to go to dinner tonight, but I’ll do my best to convince her to go. I really need to talk to her and get this whole thing over with. It’ll be best for the both of us.”

His two friends nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, good plan. Water and Earth aren’t really compatible _anyway_, y’know?” Axel said, lounging back in his chair.

The cerulean-eyed man tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“What, you’ve never read any mythology? Like, in creation stories all around the _world_ its Earth and Sky that always end up together and working out. Earth and Water? Not so much. Ever heard of Njord and Skaldi? The sea god and mountain goddess of Norse mythology? They got married, but it ended up a _disaster_. Skaldi didn’t even want to marry Njord, it was an accident. When they _did_ get married, they tried to make it work by alternating on where they stayed from time to time. They’d stay a few days by the sea, but Skaldi was miserable because she missed the mountains. When they would stay in the mountains, Njord would be miserable because he missed the sea. The two just couldn’t make it work, so they decided to do what was best for them and parted ways. Sound familiar?”

Terra exhaled. It did indeed sound familiar.

“What does mythology have to do with any of this?” he asked.

“Absolutely nothing,” Axel admitted with a shrug. “I’m just saying, your name means ‘Earth’ and Aqua’s means ‘Water.’ Based on how you two are constantly at odds with one another, it reminded me of some mythology stories. It’s just interesting how the dynamic you two got going fits with some of ‘em.” 

Vanitas snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Analytical bullshit is what you’re doing. Nice coincidence, but maybe you’re reading into things too much. Just like the dumbasses who say the opposite like, ‘Oooh, Terra and Aqua work so well together because they’re Earth and Water~!’ _Barf_. Fuckin’ cripes, names and elements have nothing to do with what works and what doesn’t. It’s about _chemistry_.”

“Hey, no need to preach to me about relationships! I’m not saying _anything_, I’m just having some fun! Chill out, _buzzkill_.”

Terra laughed. He definitely agreed with Vanitas, but Axel also had a point that it was fun to compare coincidences to his actual relationship with Aqua. He was once again reminded of the riddle Ven told him and the anchor’s struggle against water _and _wind. Terra had compared himself to the anchor after Ven mentioned it, but now he didn’t feel he was in as much of a struggle. Now that he figured out what he actually _wanted_, the struggle he felt between choosing Aqua or Ven was no longer an issue.

He didn’t want to struggle any longer. He chose Ven, and he was determined to see it through.

“Well, no matter what, I’m ending things with Aqua,” he declared. He was confident in himself; he knew it was the right thing to do. “Tonight. And then I’ll tell Ven how I feel about him.”

Vanitas and Axel grinned.

“_Then _can I send Ven the video of you screaming your heart out about how much you love him?” the redhead asked with a teasing smirk.

Terra sighed and chuckled.

“I _suppose_. But only when I say you can. Otherwise everything will be ruined.” 

“Ooh, watch out, Terra’s taking a stand!” Vanitas chirped, smirking in glee. “Baby boy is all grown up~”

“Hey!”

The three of them laughed. Terra felt so much better than he had in months. He refused to go back to being compliant and dwell on his self-doubt any longer. It would take work, but he knew the first step to getting better was being willing to help himself. Of course, that first step came in the form of ending his turbulent relationship with Aqua. 

And if Lady Luck smiled upon him, he’d have Ven in his arms by the end of the night.

_‘Soon, Ven…’ _he thought, placing a hand over his heart. _‘I promise. I won’t hurt you or myself anymore…’_

No, luck had nothing to do with it. He knew happiness would only come from his own actions, and tonight he was finally going to act. No matter what the outcome, as long as he was free of Aqua, he knew he’d be happy. He’d be _happiest_ if Ven returned his feelings, but either way he was going to ensure his own happiness one way or another.

This was _his _time, and Terra was going to prove himself triumphant.


	3. Serendipity

The day had passed far too slowly in Terra’s opinion. Axel had to leave for his evening shift, Vanitas had a gig to play at his favorite bar, and Roxas needed some downtime to himself after spending all day at the café. Without anyone left to hang out with, he decided to head home and wait out the remaining time there. During his hours alone, Terra kept trying to formulate the best way to break up with Aqua and to confess to Ven; each attempt in his mind seemed too unnatural or too awkward. He decided to just wing it and spent the remaining hours stewing in his own apprehension.

He glanced at the clock and figured both Ven and Aqua would be getting off work around this time. With a soft smile, he pulled out his phone and texted Ven. 

_<Hey, I’m about to meet up with Aqua for dinner. I don’t plan on sticking around after, so is it okay if I come over to your place when I’m done?>_

Ven responded in record time, confirming Terra’s hunch. 

_<Mm? Ofc, you’re always welcome! But what’s going on? I thought you’d want to spend time with her after your dinner date?>_

Terra couldn’t stop his lip from curling at the thought of spending any more time with Aqua than he needed at this point. He would need time to let the aftermath of their breakup settle before he extended the metaphorical olive branch of friendship to her again. Although he himself had no problem with going back to being friends with her right after, he knew Aqua would be upset with him and would need time, so he would respect that. 

_<Nah. You already know we had a rough morning, so I’m sure we’d both want some space. I’m only taking her tonight because I already promised. But I have something I need to talk about with you after I’m done if that’s alright.>_

He also knew that telling Ven he needed to ‘talk about something’ with him made the younger man antsy with suspense. He didn’t want Ven to worry, but at the same time he wanted to make his confession as special and unsuspicious as possible. 

As predicted, Ven was indeed antsy. 

_<Well…ok? I’ll wait but i hope whatever it is you want to talk about isn’t like what we talked about last night b/c i already told you my feelings about it… :T>_

Terra smiled in understanding.

_<Don’t worry, it’s not. Actually, I’ll call you when I’m done. Would you be okay with meeting me by the pier? I can bring ice cream!>_

_<Mm?? Well ok, if that’s what you want. I’ll be there!! :D Bring a Honey Bunny for me, please~>_

Terra grinned. 

_<You got it……honeybunny~ ;P>_

_<ALDSJFW WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT OMG TERRA DON’T DO THAT!!!!>_

He laughed. Ven’s reaction was typical, and he adored it. Ven was one to rarely get flustered, but Terra always enjoyed the moments when he succeeded in making Ven blush. Hopefully there would be many more to come in the future. 

_<Haha alright, alright, sorry~ But I better head out. I’ll talk to you soon.>_

_<Tty soon! Good luck tonight :)>_

Terra smiled fondly at his phone before he switched over to text Aqua. 

_<Hey, are you done? I’m headed to Le Grand now. I’ll meet you there?>_

It took a few minutes before Aqua responded. 

_<I’ll be on my way in a moment. Yes, I’ll meet you there.>_

_<Okay. I’ll get us a table, then.>_

He didn’t get another response. As he expected, Aqua was still upset with him from earlier. He sighed and pocketed his phone, feeling slightly agitated himself. The lack of understanding and communication had gotten old long ago, so he was glad he was finally getting it over with. He made a mental note to treat Roxas, Vanitas, and Axel to drinks or something later as thanks for making him realize an important truth about himself. 

Without wasting another moment, he got up and made his way outside to his car. 

“Let’s just get this over with,” he muttered to himself. 

It didn’t take long for him to arrive at Le Grand Bistrot and find a parking space. Keeping his head held high, he walked inside and got a table for two. He waited patiently for Aqua, steeling himself for the conversation to come. Even though he felt like he waited for an eternity, Aqua arrived a few moments later. 

She had dressed up for the occasion and looked beautiful; Terra was unsurprised. He did feel a little awkward because he hadn’t bothered dressing up. He had showered earlier and changed clothes, but they weren’t anything special; he just couldn’t be bothered. If Aqua was bothered by this, she didn’t show it and instead sat across from him. 

Terra could tell she was still upset, but she gave him a smile regardless. 

“Hey,” she said. 

“Hey,” he replied, returning her smile. “How was work?” 

“Mm, it was fine. Chad was in a foul mood all day, though, so it made getting work I wanted done more difficult.” 

Terra raised an eyebrow. 

“Chad? Oh, you mean the coworker from this morning?” 

Aqua nodded. 

“Mm. I know Roxas is your friend, but what he did was uncalled for. I absolutely will _not _be returning to that café. I hope you can understand.” 

Terra shrugged. 

“Do what you want. Honestly, that’s probably for the best. I mean, you’ve already made it known you don’t like him, and Roxas isn’t too fond of you, either. Maybe it’ll be best for you both.”

Aqua’s lips tightened, but instead of pursuing the matter further she simply nodded in agreement.

“Yes, perhaps that’s best. It’s unfortunate that it came down to this.”

_‘Well whose fault is that?’ _Terra thought. 

“Yeah. Maybe it wouldn’t have if you two talked more, but what’s done is done,” he said aloud, knowing it was best not to voice his actual thoughts in the middle of a restaurant. 

He didn’t want to be a jerk, but he wasn’t going to let her control him any longer, either. If he needed to be blunt, he would be. Aqua appeared to have sensed his change in demeanor as well.

“What are you trying to say, Terra?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

“_Nothing_, Aqua. All I’m saying is that the cycle continues, and now it’s escalated.” 

“And this is my fault?”

“Partially, _yeah_. I’ll admit I let it go on too long, and I should’ve had you and the guys sit down and properly meet and chat, so I’m just as much at fault and so are they, but you’re not innocent in all this, either.” 

Hoo boy, he was hoping this didn’t end horribly. He didn’t want to make an enemy out of her; he loved her, of course, but not how a boyfriend is supposed to love his girlfriend. He loved her as a _friend_, like he always had, and he wanted to _remain_ friends after all was said and done, but they needed to hash out their issues first. Just like a romantic relationship, friendships are built on trust and understanding; he knew this well, as did Aqua, so it was important to just rip the metaphorical Band-Aid right off and air out all the dirty laundry. 

Aqua frowned. 

“Alright, that’s fair. I agree. Perhaps we can all get together at some point and talk. I may not like your friends, but I’m willing to at least try and have a civil conversation.” 

Terra relaxed. This was good, they were making headway.

“Yeah. I appreciate that, thank you. I’ll talk to them as well and maybe we can all get together for a game night or something.” 

It was Aqua’s turn to relax. She nodded in agreement. 

“That would be lovely.” 

He smiled.

“Alright, we’ll make it happen, then.” 

She returned his smile and nodded. 

“Mm, I’d like that.”

Okay, maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. Even though Aqua could be controlling and judgmental, she was at least willing to try and work towards solutions; that’s why he had been friends with her for so long before they started dating. She wasn’t a bad person, she just…wasn’t what he was looking for in a romantic relationship, and he knew that he wasn’t exactly what she wanted in a partner, either. They had settled on a compromise, which under normal circumstances is a good thing, but their entire relationship was more or less a compromise with very little give-and-take, at least on Aqua’s end. Terra was usually the one to give, give, give, whereas Aqua was the one to give a _little _bit but usually would take, take, take. So Ven had been right all along; their relationship wasn’t healthy. 

Well, that was changing tonight. He was going to end this problematic relationship and start anew. 

“So,” Terra said aloud, looking at his menu. “What are you thinking?” 

Aqua looked at her own menu. 

“Hm, good question… The Sea Bass Poêlé sounds good… What about you?”

“Mm, I’m looking at that Beef Bourguignon…”

“Ooh, good choice!” 

Terra chuckled and nodded. 

“It all sounds good.” 

The blue-haired woman nodded in agreement. After a moment, their waiter returned and took their orders. While they waited, Terra and Aqua filled the silence with small talk. Terra figured he’d drop the break-up bomb on her _after_ they were done eating. They had turned a tension-filled meeting into a positive, pleasant chat; there was no reason to ruin the mood on an empty stomach. Before long their orders were served. They ate in silence, but it was a more or less comfortable silence considering both of them were caught up in how delicious their meals were. Terra skipped on dessert—he’d be having ice cream later, after all—but insisted Aqua get something for herself if she wanted; she happily obliged. Soon they were finished eating, and Terra paid the check. 

As they stood to leave the restaurant, Aqua hugged Terra’s arm and smiled up at him. 

“So, would you like to come back to my place? Or should we go to yours?” she asked.

A twinge of guilt panged in Terra’s heart. Aqua looked so happy in that moment, and she looked like she wanted to further the mood by getting _intimate_—something Terra definitely didn’t want. He walked her outside and to their cars before he pulled his arm away and answered her question.

“Actually, Aqua…I wasn’t planning on doing either.” 

Aqua raised an eyebrow, a look of hurt crossing her face. 

“What? Why not? I thought we were having a pleasant evening?” 

“Well, yeah, it _has _been pleasant for the most part, but…there’s something I need to tell you,” he finally admitted. 

She tilted her head in bewilderment. 

“What do you mean, Terra?” 

Just rip the metaphorical Band-Aid right off, Terra. 

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment to rebuild confidence, he opened them again and looked into her eyes. This was it. It was now or never. 

“Aqua, I’ve been doing some serious thinking since last night, and I realized earlier today that this just isn’t working.”

Aqua looked stunned. Never in a million years had she imagined Terra telling her he wanted to break up; he didn’t seem like that type of person at all. 

“_What_…?” she asked, flabbergasted. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m breaking up with you,” Terra said, keeping his gaze focused on her to show that he was both serious and refused to back down.

“But…but _why_, though…?! Aren’t…aren’t you _happy_ with me…?” 

She was practically begging Terra. He felt horrible, but he had already come this far. Plus, he knew what he _really _wanted—what _truly_ would make him happy. And unfortunately, it wasn’t _her_. 

“I hate to say it, but…no, Aqua… I’m not happy with you… I haven’t been for a while now, and I just can’t keep doing this to myself. I know you’re trying, we both have tried and tried to make it work, but it’s just…not.” 

“But we…!” 

Aqua wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. What _could _she say? She knew he was right, and she knew he wasn’t as happy as he used to be, but she was convinced they would be able to make it work. Sure, she wasn’t entirely happy herself because they were at odds with one another more than she liked, but she still wanted to _be_ with him. 

Trembling, she quietly asked, “Isn’t there anything we can do…? We…we worked through our problems _before_, what’s so different _now_? Why this all of a sudden?” 

Terra softly exhaled and shook his head.

“It’s…been a long time coming, Aqua… I’ve done a lot of soul-searching today and yesterday, and I realize that the best thing for both of us is to just move on.” 

“B-best thing for _both_ of us…?! You don’t make that decision _for_ me, Terra…!!” Aqua exclaimed, gripping his arm. “How do you know what’s best for me…?!” 

The grip wasn’t hard, but the suddenness of it caused Terra to jolt slightly. 

“You _don’t_…!” she continued, looking at him pleadingly. 

If she didn’t mean to make him feel like the worst kind of person, it wasn’t working; he felt awful. He didn’t want to hurt her like this, but he _needed_ to do what was right for _him_. He had spent so long trying to do what _Aqua_ felt was right that he lost a part of himself. He had scarified his happiness for her in a desperate attempt to make their relationship work, but he couldn’t keep holding himself back. Not anymore. 

“You’re right,” he said, gently removing her hand from his arm. “I don’t… But I _do_ know what’s right for _me_, and I need to put myself first, Aqua. _I’m_ not happy, and I keep feeling like I need to hold myself back around you. I know you mean well, I really do, I know you just want what you think is best for me, but just like _I_ don’t know what’s best for you, _you_ don’t know what’s best for me. You don’t make that decision for me, either.” 

Aqua gritted her teeth, unable to contain her tears any longer. Terra was momentarily taken aback by the sight. 

“_Terra_,” she softly pleaded. “_Please_… Please, I promise I’ll listen, I’ll be _better_, just please don’t do this…!”

Terra shook his head, swallowing the lump in this throat and blinking back his own tears; he didn’t like to see her hurt at all, but he needed to do this. He needed to see it through. 

“You’ve said that _before_, Aqua, and…and it never _works_…” 

“I’ll make it work this time…!!” she interjected. “I—whatever you want, _please_…!! Terra, Terra I _love_ you…” 

The admission was quiet and wavering. Terra’s eyes widened slightly, but he wasn’t _totally _surprised. Maybe slightly, but he had his suspicions, which was why he felt awful that he used to struggle with his own feelings. He had never loved her like she now loved him. No matter how much he _wanted_ to, it just never happened, and now he knew _why_. 

“…I’m sorry…” he said softly. “I’m so sorry, Aqua, but…I _don’t_… I’ve wanted to—I _tried_—but…I just…couldn’t…_can’t_… I’m sorry…” 

Aqua looked as if her world completely shattered. Terra recognized a look of realization in her eyes, but he wouldn’t push it. He knew Aqua was starting to understand why this break-up was happening, and why he couldn’t return her feelings in the same way anymore. She quietly pulled away, starting to accept the situation. 

“S-so this is it…?” she asked, sniffling and wiping her eyes. 

Terra nodded. 

“Yeah… This is it… It’s over…” 

Aqua nodded slightly. 

“O-okay…I get it…” she murmured. “But…Terra…?” 

“Hm…?” 

“…Is it because there’s someone else…?” 

Terra paused, trying to plan his answer carefully. 

“…Yes and no,” he admitted after a moment. “No, because I didn’t realize my feelings until just recently and have been struggling with my own happiness for a couple months now, but…yes in the sense that…there is someone else I love...”

Aqua hiccuped. A soft sob escaped her lips. 

“C-can I ask who…?” she blubbered, not really _wanting_ to know but deciding she _needed_ to. 

Terra glanced down at the ground. He knew it would be inappropriate to smile, but just his name alone made him want to beam from ear to ear. He went with his better judgment and fought off the smile before looking back at her. 

“It’s Ventus,” he admitted confidently. 

He wasn’t ashamed of his love for Ven, and he never would be. Even if he felt like the biggest jerk in the world right now, he would _never_ feel ashamed of his love. He wouldn’t hide it; not anymore. He wouldn’t deny himself this any longer, even if breaking up with Aqua was the toughest thing he’s ever done in his life. 

Aqua hung her head and slumped her shoulders. 

“…Figures…” she whispered, although Terra heard her loud and clear. Lifting her head again, she looked at Terra and continued, “Why am I not surprised…? The way you just light up whenever you think about him, how you always get defensive of him if I even mention his name, how you always seem more excited to spend time with him more than me…it all makes sense…” 

Terra winced. He felt bad that Aqua was offhandedly admitting she was jealous of Ven, but he refused to be guilt-tripped into being the bad guy. Those days were over.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” he said, being as honest and sincere as possible. “I really am, but…I’m not going to apologize for loving Ven. I’m at my happiest with him, and even if he doesn’t return my feelings, I’m just happy being able to be myself. So don’t think I’m breaking up with you _because _of Ven. On the contrary, it’s because I finally realized that I need to do what’s best for me, decided by me.” 

Aqua sniffled. 

“I-I get it,” she said, her voice scratchy from her burning throat. “J-just go, then…”

The cerulean-eyed man sighed and nodded. 

“Alright… I hope we can at least…go back to being friends like before…?” 

The blue-haired woman wiped her eyes.

“I…I’ll need some time…to think…” 

Terra understood and nodded.

“I get it… Just be safe going back home, okay…?” 

Aqua nodded.

“You, too…” she said. 

She wasn’t happy at all, and she wasn’t going to pretend to be, but she realized she did need to let Terra go. She hadn’t thought he’d been so miserable, but then again she never really _asked_; she had just _assumed_ everything was fine—and even when they weren’t, she assumed them quickly resolving the issues was a positive sign. She had no idea that Terra felt restrained by her; she only wanted what was best for him. But she realized that he was right in that only he could make that decision for himself; she had no business trying to make it for him, and because she had spent so long trying to do just that, she lost him. She didn’t _want_ to let him go, but she knew that she _had_ to. 

As much as she loved him, she didn’t want him to be miserable—and clearly he _was_ when he was with her. The realization _hurt_, crushingly so, and she knew that she needed to work on herself and do some soul-searching if she didn’t want to push him away entirely. Of _course_ she still wanted to be friends, but it would take a while before she could really work herself back to that level. What she wanted most, however, was just for Terra to actually be _happy_. If he wasn’t happy with _her_, she’d rather he be happy with Ventus—even though the thought killed her inside at the moment.

With a soft sigh, she got into her car and drove away. Terra watched her leave before sighing himself and getting into his own car. He took a moment to process everything that happened. He still felt guilty, but at the same time he felt _free_. Part of him felt like he should just go home and give it time before he met with Ven, but at the same time he didn’t _want _to wait. He wanted to keep going with what he started; any lag in time may very well cause him to change his mind and hide his feelings. No, he wasn’t going to retreat.

Was it kind of douchey to go confess his love for Ventus after _just_ breaking up with Aqua? Maybe. But at the same time it was kind of douchey to put Ven and their friends through unnecessary drama because of his now-former relationship. This whole situation was rather douchey, but he decided he didn’t care anymore. If chasing the happiness he yearned for was douchey, then he’d willingly be a douchebag for that. Nodding to himself, he pulled out his phone and called Ven. 

_“Hey, Terra!” _Ven answered. _“How was dinner?”_

Terra smiled.

“It was…eventful. Yeah, it was eventful.” 

_“Uh-oh. Is that good or bad?”_

“I’ll tell you all about it when we meet up, hm? I’m on my way to stop for that ice cream, so I’ll be there in a few.”

_“Mm? Well, alright, then. I’ll start heading out. See you there!”_

The smile on Terra’s face turned into one of pure fondness, his demeanor going _soft_.

“See you soon…” 

With that, he ended the call and started his car. He hurried to their favorite ice cream shop and ordered a Honey Bunny for Ven and a Rockin’ Crunch for himself. Before long, he found himself at the pier where Ventus was waiting for him.

“Hey!” he called, holding up the ice creams as he approached his dearest friend. “Wait long?”

Ven grinned and met him halfway.

“Nah,” he said, taking his ice cream. “Thanks for this~” 

Terra smiled and nodded. 

“No problem. Been looking forward to this~” 

Ven nodded in agreement. 

“Oh yeah~” 

“How was work?” 

“It was great!” 

Terra grinned. 

“Algae samples kept you busy?” 

Ven laughed.

“Oh, yeah~ We had fun today~”

“Glad to hear it~”

“Hee~ What about you, though? How’d dinner go? What did you want to talk about?”

Terra sighed and smiled. Taking a bite of his ice cream, he gestured for Ven to walk with him. The younger man happily obliged him, waiting for him to answer the questions. 

“Dinner was good. It was a bit tense at first because Aqua was still upset about what happened this morning, but overall the evening was nice.” 

Ven nodded along, taking a bite of his own ice cream as he listened. 

“It was delicious and we had a good time,” Terra continued, glancing out at the sea. “I walked her to her car and then…I broke up with her.” 

Ven _nearly_ dropped his ice cream, but luckily managed to keep hold of it. He gaped at Terra, sky-blue eyes wide as dinner plates. 

“You…you _what_…?!” 

Terra nodded. 

“Yeah.” 

“You…you don’t seem too upset about this! What’s happening, how is this a thing, I just—_how_?! _Why_?!” 

Terra couldn’t help but chuckle. _Gods_ did he feel like such a jerk, but all that mattered to him right now was this moment with Ven—and Ven made him _happy_. 

“I…okay, I’m gonna sound like a major asshole—” Ven choked on his own spit in surprise at Terra’s swearing. “—but I’m honestly not upset about it. I mean, I feel _bad_ about it because I hurt her when I didn’t want to, but I decided that I needed to put myself and my own happiness first. I let her know that, and that unfortunately I just wasn’t happy with her anymore. She told me she loved me, but I just…couldn’t accept it. I don’t feel the same, and I let her know that.” 

Ven continued to gape. What did this mean? 

“Wh…what brought all this about? What made you want to actually go through with it…?” 

Terra smiled, stopping to look at Ven.

“Well, I’ve been considering it since last night when we had our talk. But I owe your brother and the others a few pints or something because they helped give me a push and realize things about myself that I was trying to avoid.” 

Ven tilted his head. Terra’s heart melted; _gods_ how he just wanted to kiss him… 

“What do you mean? What were you trying to avoid about yourself?”

In that moment, Terra thought Ven looked like pure starlight. Well, Ven always _had_ been comparable to starlight to him, but even more so _now_. With the gentle breeze ruffling his golden hair, the soothing sound of the ocean waves lapping at the shore, and his beautiful eyes wide with awe, Terra knew he had made the right choice; Ven was an _angel_. He was moving fast—way too fast—but he didn’t care. He wanted to keep Ven’s precious light all for himself. How could he have been so _blind_? 

“Terra…?”

The older man snapped out of it. Chuckling to himself, he quickly finished off his ice cream and tossed the stick in a nearby bin.

“I’ll let you finish your ice cream first,” he said, ruffling Ven’s silky sunshine locks.

Ventus huffed and rolled his eyes. 

“Fine, be that way,” he grumbled, trying to hurry and finish his own dessert. “…Ow, fuck, brain freeze, _brain freeze_…!!” 

Terra burst out laughing—_hard_. Ven glared at him as he continued laughing, all the while clutching his stomach as tears of mirth rolled down his cheeks.

“Oh, ha _ha_, very funny, you _asshat_!” Ven exclaimed, clutching at his head. “I’ll remember this, y’know! Don’t come looking for my sympathy next time _you _give yourself one!”

Terra only laughed _harder_. Ven glared at him after his brain freeze subsided.

“Yeah? Oh yeah? Does that do it for ya? Mr. Funny Bones?”

“Stop, stop, it already hurts…!!” Terra gasped, laughter finally starting to subside.

Ventus snorted before a large grin spread across his face. 

“Dork! Don’t die!”

The older man snickered a bit longer before he stood up straight and wiped his eyes.

“_Hoo_! Man, I needed that laugh today,” he said with a grin.

“Don’t we all?”

They shared another laugh together before Terra figured it was time to tell him everything.

“Ven?”

Ven looked at him. 

“Hm?”

Terra smiled and took both his hands. A small noise of confusion escaped Ven’s lips, but he clasped the older man’s hands tight. 

“What is it…?” he asked, taking in how handsome Terra was standing there under the light of the stars; the smile on his face made him fall in love a thousand times over. 

Terra continued to smile, cerulean eyes filled with nothing but warmth and adoration. He leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. Ven’s soft gasp made his heart flutter, and his smile broadened as he closed his eyes. 

“We’ve been through _everything_ together, huh…?” he murmured, happy that Ven wasn’t pulling away from him.

“M-mmhm…” Ven replied softly, giving his friend’s hands a gentle squeeze. “And more…”

“Yeah…” Terra smiled, feeling warm. “We’re partners through and through…”

“Yeah… And that’ll never change…” 

“Right…”

They stood like that for several minutes in comfortable silence, hands clasped and foreheads pressed firmly together. They listened to the soft rustle of the wind and the gentle serenade of the sea, both content in each other’s presence. It was almost an enchanted moment, and both of them were wondering what was going to happen next.

After a few more moments of silence, Terra decided to open his eyes. Warm cerulean met kind sky-blue, and he smiled; Ven happily returned it. 

“What is it…?” Ven gently coaxed. “Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to guess…?” 

Terra chuckled.

“Nah, I’m not _that _mean. I’ll tell you. I’ll preface it by saying that I’ve been an idiot this whole time…”

Ventus frowned, his eyebrows scrunching in disapproval. 

“You have _not_, whatever it is you’re leading up to. You’re _not _an idiot.”

The older man grinned. Typical Ven. 

“You won’t be saying that for long. What I mean is that I’ve been blind and tried denying my feelings for the longest time. I _thought_ I wanted to be with Aqua when she first asked me out, but I was wrong. I was so totally, incredibly, _fundamentally_ wrong. And clearly we see how that worked out.”

The younger man raised an eyebrow. 

"Okay, what are you up to? This isn’t like you. You never prolong _anything_ or beat around the bush like this. You’re acting weird, is it a full moon?” To make a point, Ven glanced up at the sky. “…No, it’s a crescent moon, there goes that explanation.” 

Terra snickered. 

“I’m _working_ on it, yeah? This is just a lot more difficult to say than I anticipated!” 

“_Damn_, Terra, it’s just me you’re dealing with! It’s not like you’re trying to confess your love or anything!” 

Wishful thinking, but Ven wasn’t afraid to joke about it either way. Terra’s silence was unexpected, however. His heart skipped. _No way_.

“…Terra…?”

Terra couldn’t hold it back any longer. Instead of saying another word, he simply leaned in and caught Ven’s lips with his own. Ven startled, lowering Terra’s confidence with the whole situation, but to his complete surprise Ven began to kiss _back_. His lips were so _soft _and _sweet_; Terra felt _fireworks_. He was even more pleasantly surprised when he felt Ven practically _melt_ against him and drape his arms around his shoulders. The younger man deepened the kiss, and Terra gladly accepted it. He snaked an arm around Ven’s lithe waist and pulled him closer to himself—not breaking the kiss—and ran the other through his hair. Ven smiled slightly against his lips; he enthusiastically returned it.

_This_. This was all Terra ever wanted. The bliss, the fireworks, the _magic_—it was all there; it always _had_ been there. They continued to kiss each other for several moments before they reluctantly pulled away for air. Ven stared at him in shock, causing Terra to chuckle. 

“That’s _exactly_ what I’m doing…” he murmured fondly, brushing his nose with Ven’s. 

The smaller man’s eyes widened even more, cheeks flushed bright pink. He didn’t know what to say. 

“You…are…?” was all he could manage, dumbfounded. 

Terra nodded, continuing to hold his angel close. Ven made no move to remove his arms.

“Yeah. And I think I always have, but tried to push the thoughts away because I was dating Aqua. I was looking for happiness in places I shouldn’t have been. I’ve been trying to catch a falling star this whole time, but I’ve been so blind that I never saw that I already had you…” 

Ven sniffled. Although he was trying his damnedest not to tear up, he couldn’t help it. Never in a million _years_ had he dreamed this moment would happen. He had convinced himself long ago that it would never happen—that Terra would never love him in the same way—yet here they were, holding each other tight under the stars with Terra telling him he was confessing his love. The world was spinning; he didn’t know how to handle the rush. 

“You were right…” he said with a watery chuckle. “You really _are _an idiot…” 

Terra grinned. 

“Yeah, see? Told you.”

Ven laughed, hugging the older man tight. 

“Yeah… You did… So…you got anything else you wanted to tell me…?”

The older man smiled and nodded, gently cupping Ven’s chin and tilting his head up to look into his eyes. Ven’s breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah…” Terra murmured, brushing their noses again. “What I wanted to really say, Ven, is that I love you. Will you be mine…?” 

A cry of delight erupted from Ven as he clutched to Terra tight. 

“_Yes_!!” he exclaimed. “Yes, of course! I want that more than _anything_!” 

Terra grinned and lifted him up. Ven laughed and held on tight. 

“Oh yeah? And why’s that, hm?”

Ven grinned down at him. 

“Oh, like you needed to _ask_. But since you did, I’ll tell you: because I love you, too… I’ve held it in for so long, I never dreamed this would happen, but I love you, too… _So _much…” 

Terra beamed from ear to ear, his heart feeling like it was about to burst in his chest. _How _had he been so _blind_? He really _did_ owe Roxas, Vanitas, and Axel a drink—_and _dinner; they had been right. Without a word, he lowered Ven and gave him another kiss. Ven gleefully returned it. All the doubt, fear, and self-loathing Terra ever harbored within himself disappeared completely; when he was with Ven, everything was right in the world. With Ven, there was no pain. There was no worrying about being judged, no feeling like he needed to constantly work to improve himself, _nothing_ of the sort; there was only warmth, joy, and _love_.

His struggle was finally over. Terra knew that he could finally be _happy_, and he knew that Ven could finally be happy, too. Gently setting Ven down, he pulled him close and lightly swayed with him. Ven chuckled and relaxed in his arms, the bright smile on his face never faltering.

“I’m so lucky…” the older man said, captivated by Ven’s brilliant light. “I have you…” 

Ventus shook his head.

“Mm-mm, there’s no such thing as luck,” he replied, smiling warmly. “My soul was just guided to yours, now here we are. Whatever’s meant to be _will_ be, and I guess the universe decided that _we_ were meant to be together. And for that, I’m eternally grateful… I’m grateful for _you_…”

Terra heart warmed at the response.

“And _I’m _grateful for you… Now I just have one more question for you,” he murmured, nuzzling into Ven’s hair and kissing the top of his head.

“Hm…? What is it?”

“Will you let me adopt your children? Because I’m ready to be a dad.”

Ventus burst out laughing, burying his face in Terra’s chest. Terra grinned before laughing as well.

“Of course~” Ven said, grinning up at him. “They’d love that. Antoinette especially, because I came home today and saw she really started to sprout. She loves you already~”

The grin never left Terra’s face.

“Yeah? Good~ I have a soft spot for her especially~”

“Ooh, you better not tell the others that. They’ll get _jealous_~”

Both of them shared another laugh. This was all either of them could ever want. Ven continued to smile and cradled Terra’s face in both his hands. Terra, in turn, nuzzled into his touch and placed his hands atop Ven’s.

“No more struggling with water and wind…?” Ven asked warmly, gently caressing his lover’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“Nope,” Terra answered, brushing their noses yet again. “No more struggling. Wind is the victor here.”

Ventus beamed, heart alight and full of nothing but love for this man.

“I’m glad…” he said, pecking Terra’s lips.

Terra chuckled and returned it. 

“I am, too. Oh! And if you get a random video from Axel tomorrow, ignore it.”

Ven snorted. 

“Oh, I’m definitely not ignoring it now.” 

Terra rolled his eyes.

“Typical. You can never let these things go.”

“Nope~ If it involves you, I never want to let go, anyway~”

The older man grinned.

“Oh no?” 

“Nope~” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Mm, because I love you~”

The happiness was almost overbearing for Terra, but he didn’t mind. It was what he had always been searching for, and he finally had it—here in his arms.

“I love you, too,” he murmured, drinking in Ven’s beauty.

Ven smiled and brushed their noses. Under the starlight on the pier, a happy beginning was born. Terra kissed him again.

**Fin.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo! Made it! That was extremely cathartic; I needed that! I feel a lot better now~ Hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If not, then, well, I tried!


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